Acarous Gray is Incorrect, President Boakai Did Not Tell Civilians to Buy and Register Weapons in 12 -Months
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Claim: “Boakai has issued an executive order telling civilians to buy weapons and register them within 12 months.”
Source: Acarous Moses Gray
Verdict: No! President Boakai did not order civilians to buy and register weapons.
Full Text: Acarous Gray, a staunch executive member of the opposition Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) and a former Representative of Montserrado County District #8, made a Facebook post on Tuesday, February 25, 2025, claiming that President Boakai issued Executive Order #141 instructing all Liberian citizens to buy weapons and register them within a twelve (12) month period.
Gray post generated 262 reactions, 381 comments, and 23 shares as of the time of this publication.
Verification: We searched the Executive Mansion's official Facebook page to verify Gray’s claim.
A portion of the president's executive order states: “Now, therefore, I, Joseph Nyuma Boakai, President of the Republic of Liberia, under the power and authority in me vested by the Constitution and Statute Laws of the Republic of Liberia, do hereby order as follows: That all persons (civilians and those exempted under Part IV, Section 4.1(b) of An Act to Amend the Firearms and Ammunition Control Act of 2015, who may personally be) in possession of military-styled weapons and single barrel guns shall register and obtain a permit and license from the Liberia National Commission on Arms and the Liberia National Police according to Section 4.6 of An Act to Amend the Firearms and Ammunition Control Act of 2015.
The stipulated timeframe for this exercise is within twelve (12) months, beginning on the effective date of this Executive Order.”
This portion is being misinterpreted by many, including Gray, to say that the president is telling civilians to buy weapons and register them within 12 months. The full text of President Executive Order 141 can be found here.
However, the president's executive order #141 references Part IV sections 4.6 (a-c) of An Act to Amend the Firearms and Ammunition Control Act of 2015. Our search did not find anywhere in the president’s executive order where he instructed civilians to buy weapons and register within 12 months.
Part IV Section 4.6 (ac) of the Act to Amend the Firearms and Ammunition Control Act of 2015 allows certain exceptions for firearm possession and use, including game-hunting for livelihood, recreation in controlled facilities, traditional ceremonies, and special security needs.
These exceptions must be granted by a technical committee approved by the Commission on Arms. Additionally, the Liberian Penal Code criminalizes the illegal possession, use, and supply of firearms and lethal objects under multiple sections.
ECOWAS is making progressive efforts to control the proliferation of illegal small arms and light weapons within its Member States through the "ECOWAS Convention on Small Arms and Light Weapons, their Ammunition and Other Related Materials." This initiative aims to address the disastrous consequences of weapons proliferation, including the prolongation of armed conflicts and the illegal exploitation of natural resources.
The Government of Liberia, through the Commission on Arms, has achieved significant progress in controlling state-owned arms. These efforts include marking and recording state arms, conducting regular inspections of state armories, and training armorers and other security personnel in physical security and stockpile management.
We went further to search for the Firearms and Ammunition Control Act of 2015: On May 12, 2016, the House of Representatives passed the Liberia Firearms and Ammunition Control Act of 2015, which regulates the possession and use of small arms and light weapons in the country.
We also searched and found out that former President George M. Weah signed into law the National Census Joint Resolution and Small Arms Act on September 14, 2022.
The Senate and House of Representatives passed a joint resolution in 2022 authorizing the Executive Branch of Government for the president's signature, which he did.
Samuel Tetroien Nimley Jr., security expert thinks that fire arms should be regulated. "How do we do or achieve such? Is by registering all fire arms.The UN placed a ban on weapons in 1990 in an effort to slow down the import of weapons being used by both rebel groups and government forces, so there is need for arms to be regulated."
Conclusion: Based on our search and findings, we conclude that the claim made by Gray is misleading. President Boakai did not tell civilians to buy weapons and register them within 12 months. As the law provides, there is a need for arms to be registered.
