Laws on crossbows

Did You Know?

• In Australia, pistol crossbows are strictly controlled in all states due to their concealable nature.
• In the Czech Republic, crossbows and other mechanical weapons with drawing force under 150 N are not regulated.
• In Germany, crossbows do not shoot as per legal definition because they do not use expanding gases or similar mechanisms to propel a projectile.

Canada

In Canada, crossbows are legally distinct from firearms and may be bought, made, or sold to anyone aged 18 or older. A licence is not needed unless the crossbow has a barrel and fires a projectile faster than 152.4 metres per second, as such weapons are then treated as firearms. Crossbows meant for one-hand use or shorter than 500 millimetres are banned. Local city rules may classify crossbows, bows, and slingshots as firearms, limiting their possession or use within city limits. Provincial laws determine whether crossbows can be used for hunting.

Netherlands

In the Netherlands, crossbows and bolts are placed in category 4 of the law on weapons and ammunition, alongside bows, swords, and spears. Possession is legal for individuals over 18, but carrying them in public is not allowed; when transporting, the weapon must be packaged so that at least three actions are needed before it is ready for use. Crossbows may only be used for collecting, re-enactment, or sportive purposes, and hunting with crossbows or bows is strictly prohibited under animal cruelty laws.

United Kingdom

No licence or registration is required to own a crossbow in the United Kingdom. The Crossbows Act 1987 prohibits sale or purchase to or by those under 18 in England, Wales, and Scotland, and possession by those under 18 is only allowed under adult supervision by a person aged 21 or over. Similar prohibitions for Northern Ireland are in the Crossbows (Northern Ireland) Order 1988. Hunting birds with crossbows is prevented by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. In Scotland, being drunk in a public place while in possession of a crossbow is an offence. The age limit was raised from 17 to 18 in England and Wales by the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006, and in Scotland by the Custodial Sentences and Weapons (Scotland) Act 2007, both effective from 1 October 2007. After a trespass incident at Windsor Castle in 2021, the Home Secretary ordered a review of the law.

United States

There are no federal regulations prohibiting crossbow ownership or sale, but several states impose restrictions on age or criminal status. New York law classifies crossbows as dangerous weapons, prohibiting ownership by convicted felons. Hunting rules vary by state. In Michigan, any licensed hunter with a free crossbow stamp may hunt with a crossbow during any firearm season for big and small game, except in the Upper Peninsula during the late archery deer season and muzzleloader deer season unless the hunter is disabled with a permit.

In the Lower Peninsula, crossbows may be used throughout the archery deer season, and in the Upper Peninsula during the early archery deer season. Crossbow use is not allowed in the Red Oak Unit during the archery-only bear season except for certified hunters with a disability. The DNR may issue a crossbow permit to a person with a valid hunting license who is certified as having a permanent or temporary disability that prevents use of conventional archery equipment.

Hunters may use a modified bow where crossbows are legal. When hunting deer, bear, elk, and turkey, crossbow hunters must use arrows, bolts, or quarrels with a broadhead point not less than 7/8 inch wide and a minimum of 14 inches in length. Hunting with crossbows in New York became legal as of August 2014.