Gun owners battle against tighter firearms law

24 July 2006

BRUSSELS — The union of gun owners UNACT is taking legal action in the Arbitration Tribunal against the federal government’s recently imposed tighter gun control law.

UNACT claims the new law undermines the legal certainty of gun owners and traders.

Some 10,000 gun owners have signed a petition demanding the abolition of part of the new legislation, VRT reported on Monday.

The new weapons law was introduced on 8 June in response to the racist shootings in Antwerp in May in which two people were killed.

Currently, it is not possible to buy a gun without a permit. Gun owners are prepared to accept that stipulation.

However, UNACT claims the law is unfeasible and will therefore fail to achieve its goals. It said illegal weapon possession will increase, rather than decline.

Specifically, the union was critical of the short amount of time allotted to gun owners to register their weapon and the fact that a permit is temporary.

UNACT also claims the new law will not prevent family murders or crimes because only a small number of such crimes are committed with a legal weapon.

The gun owners union is therefore requesting the arbitration court scrap certain passages of the new legislation.

Subject: Belgian news