Haku

Key changes in firearms legislation in recent years

Hunting and target practice popular recreational activities in Finland Finland is a country of hunters and gun enthusiasts. There are approximately 460,000 licence holders and slightly under 1.5 million licensed firearms in Finland. Responsibility...

People found guilty of certain serious offences can lose their Finnish citizenship.

Coat of arms of Finland Little is known about the origins of the Finnish coat of arms. The oldest known display of the emblem is on the burial monument of Gustav Vasa in Uppsala Cathedral, which was completed in the 1580s. The same design was adop...

Interoperability

Civilian intelligence protects Finland’s national security

3.9.2019 | Ydinaseet ovat tehneet paluun maailmanpolitiikan keskiöön, todetaan tuoreessa Ulkopoliittisen instituutin raportissa. Ydinasepelotteen merkityksen korostuminen on kytköksissä kiristyneeseen suurvaltakamppailuun, alueellisiin turvallisuusjännitteisiin sekä teknologiseen kehitykseen. Kyse ei kuitenkaan ole paluusta kylmän sodan kaltaiseen vastakkainasetteluun Yhdysvaltain ja Venäjän välillä, koska ydinasepolitiikkaan liittyvä toimintaympäristö on moninapaisempi kuin ennen.

Questions and answers about civilian intelligence legislation The aim of civilian intelligence legislation is to improve the capability of Finnish society to protect against threats to national security. What does civilian intelligence legislation...

19.12.2025 | The Ministry of the Interior has sent out for comments a proposal to amend the Firearms Act. The draft proposal takes into account the need for amendments that has emerged in the application of the act following the reforms introduced to implement the most recent amendment to the EU Firearms Directive. The consultation round closes on 30 January 2026.

1.8.2024 | The Ministry of the Interior has set up a legislative project to amend the Firearms Act and the Firearms Decree. Provisions concerning loading devices, silencers and the storage of cartridges, among other things, will be clarified. A comprehensive review of the provisions governing deactivated weapons will also be carried out.

30.1.2025 | EU home affairs ministers will gather in Warsaw in Poland on 30 January for an informal meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council. They will discuss current challenges and threats to EU internal security as well as migration management, among other topics. State Secretary Antti Salminen will represent Finland at the meeting in place of Minister of the Interior Mari Rantanen, who is unable to attend for reasons of illness.

20.12.2023 | Civil defence shelters offer much more than strong protective structures. I don't think many people know about all the functionalities, devices and equipment that our civil defence shelters have – or should have, writes Project Manager Ira Pasi.

2.9.2025 | The Government of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo has reached a decision on its budget proposal for 2026. The Government’s decisions aim to support economic growth, which is picking up. Supporting economic growth and continuing responsible fiscal management is necessary to ensure the security of people in Finland and safeguard their access to important services going forward.

3.9.2019 | Nuclear weapons are back at the core of the global political arena. This is the conclusion of a recent report published by the Finnish Institute of International Affairs. Growing emphasis on the role of nuclear deterrence is linked to the increased world power struggle and regional security, as well as advanced technologies. This is no longer a question of just the United States and Russia agai...

18.7.2018 | The introduction of the online service under the Firearms Act will be postponed. The reason for the postponement is that the police’s system for information on weapons is still incomplete. The Ministry of the Interior set up a legislative project on 18 July to amend the law with respect to the entry into force of the online service. The legislative proposal will be sent on a round of consultations at the same time.

28.8.2023 | Finland's civil defence shelters are largely in good repair, but there is still some need for maintenance and repairs. A new Ministry of the Interior study shows that more than 90 per cent of civil defence shelters would provide people with good protection against the effects of conventional weapons. Shelter equipment is in most need of repair. Based on the report, the Ministry of the Interior has drawn up four recommendations for improving the network of civil defence shelters.

8.7.2022 | The EU home affairs ministers will hold an informal meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council on 11 July in Prague. The meeting will be the first during the Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The Ministers will discuss the effects of the war in Ukraine on the EU’s internal security, fight against child sexual abuse, and interoperability between EU information systems in the justice and home affairs sector.

14.4.2023 | The Non-Violent Childhoods Action Plan contains 93 different measures to combat violence against children and young people in 2020–2025. The aim is also to help victims of violence. According to a recent mid-term evaluation, the implementation of the Action Plan is progressing well.

16.4.2019 | The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which is an international body active in the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing, has published its Mutual Evaluation Report of Finland. The FATF states that the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing is overall at a relatively good level in Finland, but there are also shortcomings.

16.4.2019 | The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which is an international body active in the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing, has published its Mutual Evaluation Report of Finland. The FATF states that the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing is overall at a relatively good level in Finland, but there are also shortcomings.