The gun license is regulated in the Law No. 6136 and Law No. 2521. A person must be over the age of 21 in order to obtain a gun license. Gun licenses are usually carried out by the governorates within the provincial borders of the person or persons.
Any Turkish citizen who does not fall into one of the conditions listed in Article 16 of the Law No. 6136 (situations that prevent the issuance of a gun license) and who is over the age of 21 can purchase weapons to keep them.
There are more detailed procedures and conditions for gun carrying license. In order for a citizen to get a license to carry a gun, the person must meet certain conditions or work in some professions. These conditions and professional groups are shown in the Regulation on Firearms and Knives and Other Tools.
Gun carrying licenses are valid for five years from the date of approval, and are renewed every five years, provided that a renewal fee is charged. One month before the end of the period, the necessary procedures are initiated for notification. Those who do not renew their license as a carrying license within six months from the notification, according to their current status, the license of that weapon is canceled. The validity period of the new license starts to run from the date of expiry of the previous license. The expired transport license replaces the keeping license until a new one is issued.
The license to carry and keep guns is canceled when the persons who have been given a license to carry or keep a gun enter one of the conditions that prevent the issue of a gun license later. In addition, new license requests are not accepted by those who lose the conditions for carrying and keeping weapons. In this case, the existing gun licenses are canceled and the guns are seized. These weapons are transferred to those who are entitled to purchase weapons within six months from the date of their capture, taking into account the request of the gun owner. Weapons that cannot be transferred within this period are transferred to judicial authorities for action in accordance with the relevant laws.
For weapons that cannot be transferred, civil forfeiture is required before they are sent to judicial authorities. There is a decision of the Court of Cassation on this issue.
“The person concerned did not renew his license in time, despite the period given by the notification made to him after the license expired. Thereupon, the license was canceled and the gun was confiscated. The gun must be civil forfeiture since it is not transferred to third parties within the given period.” (Court of Cassation 8. Penal Champer Case no:2018/8110 Decision No:2019/3738)