---
title: "Indian Arms Act 1878: Lytton's Repressive Law"
description: "The Indian Arms Act 1878 disarmed Indians while exempting Europeans, making it a crucial law for UPSC modern history and colonial studies."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/indian-arms-act-1878"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

- The Indian Arms Act 1878 was a colonial statute that prohibited Indians from possessing, manufacturing, or selling arms without a licence, while largely exempting Europeans and Anglo-Indians.
- Why is the Indian Arms Act 1878 associated with Lord Lytton?
- What made the Arms Act discriminatory rather than a neutral weapons law?
- How does the Arms Act 1878 differ from the Vernacular Press Act 1878?
- When was the 1878 Act finally replaced?

[Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026

The Indian Arms Act 1878 was a colonial statute that prohibited Indians from possessing, manufacturing, or selling arms without a licence, while largely exempting Europeans and Anglo-Indians.

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Mohandas Gandhi, in his statement at the Great Trial of March 1922, denounced the Indian Arms Act 1878 as a measure that had disarmed an entire nation and deprived Indians of the right to bear arms on racial grounds.

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