The Arms Act, 1959 is an Act of the Parliament of India to consolidate and amend the law relating to arms and ammunition in order to curb illegal weapons and violence stemming from them. It replaced the Indian Arms Act, 1878. The Arms Act was passed in 1959.

The act is divided into six chapters.

Chapter I: Preliminary (Section 1 & 2) : Provides a short title and definitions of terms used in the act.

Chapter II: Acquisition, Possession, Manufacture, Sale, Import, Export, and Transport of Arms and Ammunition (Section 3 to 12) : Explains rules and regulations around acquisition, possession, manufacture, sale, import, export and transport of arms and ammunition in India.

Chapter III: Provisions relating to licences (Section 13 to 18) : Details how to procure license, rules around grant, refusal, fees for license.

Chapter IV: Powers and Procedure (Section 19 to 24B) : Provides details on the powers that the government officials have to enforce this act.

Chapter V: Offences and penalties (Section 25 to 33) : Explains punishments associated with breaking rules related to this act.

Chapter VI: Miscellaneous (Section 34 to 46) : Deals with the other miscellaneous parts of the act such as exemptions.

The Act has undergone many changes since 1959, the most recent being in 2010 through an amendment for the Arms Act. There was also controversy around air guns to be included as part of this act which was rejected by the Supreme Court of India. Previous Legislation, The Indian Arms Act, 1878 was an act regulating the manufacture, sale, possession, and carry of firearms.