The Act, as amended, controls the possession of crossbows by people under the age of eighteen throughout the whole of the United Kingdom.

Section 4 gave a police constable the power to search someone or their vehicle, if they suspected an offence was being committed under section 3; to detain someone for the purpose of this search; and to confiscate any crossbow or part of a crossbow which was found.

A person guilty of an offence under section 1 was liable for up to six months imprisonment or a fine up to level five on the standard scale; a person guilty of an offence under sections 2 or 3 was liable for a fine of up to level three on the standard scale.

On conviction, the court could order any crossbow or components involved to be forfeited or destroyed.

The Act explicitly does not apply to crossbows with a draw weight of less than 1.4 kilograms-force (3.1 lbf; 14 N).