Further provisions, relating to firearms, issued on rendering loading devices permanently inoperable and restricting their capacity

Provisions on the marking and deactivation of firearms will be specified to comply with the amended Firearms Act. Provisions concerning identification data of firearms and firearm components will also be amended. A new licence type will be introduced for active sport shooting, target shooting and practice: a firearm licence may in future be granted for certain particularly dangerous firearms used in shooting training organised by the National Defence Training Association that serves military preparedness.

On 11 July, the Government issued a decree amending the Firearms Decree, which will enter into force on 15 July 2019. At the same time, a decree of the Ministry of the Interior will enter into force, which lays down further provisions on technical requirements for preventing conversion of firearms, on permanently restricting the capacity of loading devices and on making them permanently inoperable. These amendments are related to the amended Firearms Act that will introduce the changes required by the EU Firearms Directive into Finnish legislation. The new amendments will enter into force on 15 July 2019.

The amendments to the EU Firearms Directive were brought about in response to the terrorist acts committed in Central Europe in recent years in which the perpetrators used a variety of weapons including automatic firearms. Following the amendments to the Directive, certain firearms, such as semi-automatic weapons, are now classified as category A weapons, which means they are prohibited. EU Member States may, however, opt to grant authorisation for the acquisition and possession of these weapons, for example, for national defence purposes and for target shooters, provided that strict requirements are met.

Inquiries:
Elina Rantakokko, Senior Specialist, tel. +358 295 488 611, [email protected]