Subject files - Control of the acquisition and possession of weapons (Revision of Firearms Directive) - Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection

On 18.11.2015, the EC adopted a legislative proposal for amending the 91/477 Directive on Firearms, together with the overdue evaluation report and Implementing Regulation on deactivation. Among others, the EC proposal contains stricter rules to ban certain semi-automatic firearms and for the online acquisition of firearms; includes museums and collectors in the scope of the Directive; amends the authorisation conditions for acquiring and possessing a firearm (e.g. provision of a medical test).

It also proposes common rules on marking of firearms for traceability purposes and strengthens the exchange of information between MS.

The proposal lacks an Impact Assessment. As mentioned in an implementation appraisal published by EPRS, "the revision of the Directive was initially included in the Commission Work Programme 2016 (Annex I, item 17). Following the terrorist attacks in Paris on 13 November 2015, the publication of the Commission proposal was brought forward..." together with the Implementing Regulation on deactivation standards.

The Directive was reviewed in 2008 (IMCO Rapp.: G. Kallenbach/ Greens) and foresaw that the EC would submit an evaluation report by 28.07.2015 on the situation resulting from the application of the Directive, together with any appropriate proposals.

Rapporteur: V. FORD
Shadow Rapporteurs: A.M. CORAZZA BILDT (EPP), S. COFFERATI (S&D), D. CHARANZOVÁ (ALDE), J. MASTALKA (GUE/NGL), P. DURAND (Greens/EFA), R. IWASZKIEWICZ (EFDD), M.TROSZCZYNSKI (ENF)