| Gun Politics In Finland |
Article Index for Gun Politics |
Website Links For Gun |
Information AboutGun Politics In Finland |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT GUN POLITICS IN FINLAND | |
| gun politics | |
| finnish society | |
| politics of finland | |
|
In Finland there are over two million licensed Firearm s and an estimated quarter of a million unlicensed firearms. According the Finnish Ministry of the Interior, firearms are present in approximately one-quarter of Finnish homes, with most firearms licensed for hunting. Firearm statistics include signalling pistols, which are very common as boating and yachting are popular sports in the country. CIVIL RESERVE Many active military Reservist s personally possess Pistol s, target Rifle s, Shotgun s and Semi-automatic Rifle s for practice shooting. This has been passively supported by the government, as it gives the reservists the possibility of practice shooting without the requirement of government spending. Their actual service weapons are stored by the Finnish Defence Forces , and are only given to them in reservist re-training exercises or during Mobilization . At present, a strong political consensus exists that military weapons must not be stored by individuals, even if they are reservists in first-line, quick response units. REGULATION The ownership and use of firearms is regulated by the Firearms Act of 1998 . Firearms can only be obtained with a license, which can be obtained from the local police for €32. A separate license is required for each individual firearm and family members can have a parallel licenses to use the same firearm. According to law, the firearms must be stored in a locked cupboard or with vital parts removed and hidden. They can be carried only when they are transported from their place of storage to the place of use (shooting range, hunting area or such). Even then they must be concealed or kept in carrying pouches. Only security guards with special training and a permit are allowed to carry a gun in public places. The ownership of air-rifles is not regulated but carrying or firing them in public places is not permitted. To obtain a firearms license, an individual must declare a valid reason to own a gun. Acceptable reasons include: hunting, sports or hobby, profession related, show or promotion or exhibition, collection or museum, souvenir, and signalling. Collectors can have licenses for firearms not permitted to be owned by civilians. This is usually shown by a long gun ownership, but ultimately the issuing of licenses is at the local police's discretion. Conversely, a license for a pistol or a rifle is relatively easy to obtain, requiring only an (often nominal) membership to a marksmanship association, although the police usually require that the first gun is suitable for a beginner. Possession of destructive devices such as Automatic Weapon s, Rocket and Grenade Launchers , Breech Loading cannons, Artillery rockets, or Missile systems is generally not permitted. The Finnish Ministry of the Interior has discretion to license such devices to collectors or for motion picture production or exhibition use. The firearms certificate may be cancelled if a person has committed a violent, gun-related, or drug-related crime or has broken certificate rules. Physical and mental problems or reckless behavior are solid grounds for canceling the certificate. Possessing a firearm without a license is a punishable offence. Unlicensed firearms may be confiscated by the police without punishment, provided this happens under the individual's own initiative. Firearms surrendered in this manner are auctioned to the public or destroyed. Gun laws were last changed in 1998. At that time Flare Gun s became subject to licensing, and some types of ammunition were specified especially dangerous. Such ammunition requires a separate license. The difficulty of obtaining such a license is dependent upon the nature of the ammunition. For example, it might be relatively easy to obtain hollow-point ammunition for marksmanship practice but a license for live artillery grenades is effectively impossible to obtain. RELATED OBJECTS Sound Suppressors , a firearm accessory strictly regulated in many other jurisdictions, are also available in Finland. Their use is not regulated. Their use can be considered to reduce the noise pollution that firearms otherwise produce, although this is not a serious problem, since most ranges are located in remote locations. They also remove the need to use hearing protection while shooting. Silencers are not a major topic in Finnish gun control debates as they are almost never used in crimes. Private ownership of Tear Gas or Pepper Spray is licensed for the purposes of personal protection, collection, training, or education. It must be noted, however that personal protection, education or training are not valid reasons to get a licence for a private person but apply only to security companies. Any usual need for professional use of guns should be covered with incapacitating agents, but for high risk facilities such as Nuclear Plant s, security guards may get a firearm license. Black Powder firearms manufactured prior to 1890 are free to be possessed without regulation, but for firing them one must possess a firearms license. UNREGISTERED FIREARMS The total number of illegal firearms is impossible to know, according to some estimates, there may be as few as 50 000 or as many as 500 000. Thanks to changes to the legislation, illegal firearms may now be handed over to the police without punishment for illegal possession of a firearm, provided that the owner of the firearm does it of his own initiative. The firearm is then stored while the owner applies for a permit. If he chooses not to, it will be auctioned, or destroyed if it is deemed dangerous to use due to its condition. Historically valuable weapons are sometimes handed over to museums. This practice is called "mercy year", as it originally started as a one-year experiment, which was very successful. Thousands of illegal firearms and several tons of explosives and ammunition are collected each year. EXTERNAL LINKS |
|
|