firearms control

As provided last April by The European Agenda on Security, yesterday European Commission adopted a package of measure to tighten acquirement and control of firearms. Obviously, Paris attacks accelerated the approval. These proposed amendments, now need to be approved by the European Parliament and Council.

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“The recent terrorist attacks on Europe’s people and values were coordinated across borders, showing that we must work together to resist these threats – President Jean-Claude Juncker said -. Today’s proposal, prepared jointly by Commissioners Elżbieta Bieńkowska and Dimitris Avramopoulos,will help us tackle the threat of weapons falling into the hands of terrorists. We are proposing stricter controls on sale and registration of firearms, and stronger rules to irrevocably deactivate weapons. We will also come forward with an Action Plan in the near future to tackle illicit arms trafficking. Organised criminals accessing and trading military grade firearms in Europe cannot and will not be tolerated,” he confirmed.

• This is the package of measures adopted by the College of Commissioners, in addition to the proposed revision about the EU Firearms Directive, which defines the rules under which private persons can acquire and possess weapons:
• A revision of the Firearms Directive, to tighten controls on the acquisition and possession of firearms;
• Stricter rules to ban certain semi-automatic firearms, which will not, under any circumstance, be allowed to be held by private persons, even if they have been permanently deactivated;
• Tighter rules on the online acquisition of firearms, to avoid the acquisition of firearms, key parts or ammunition through the Internet;
• EU common rules on marking of firearms to improve the traceability of weapons;
• Better exchange of information between Member States, for example on any refusal of authorisation to own a firearm decided by another national authority, and obligation to interconnect national registers of weapons;
• Common criteria concerning alarm weapons (e.g. distress flares and starter pistols)in order to prevent their transformation into fully functioning firearms;
• Stricter conditions for the circulation of deactivated firearms;
• Stricter conditions for collectors to limit the risk of sale to criminals.

Redazione

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