European Union Interior Ministers on Friday has said it will seek to agree tighter restrictions on the ownership and trade of firearms, in an effort to clamp down on terrorism following deadly attacks in Paris and Brussels.
The measures, revising existing EU firearms legislation, were proposed by the European Commission days after attackers armed with Kalashnikov rifles and explosive vests killed 130 people in Paris in November 2015.
Dutch Interior Minister Ard van der Steur, whose country holds the EU’s rotating presidency, said once in place, the new rules would make it more difficult to have firearms move from legal to illegal.
“The proposal on the table would increase controls on online sales of firearms.
“It will require the registration of alarm pistols and blank firing guns that can be converted into lethal weapons.
“It will also lay out tighter rules on the labelling of guns and gun parts, among other things,’’ Steur said.
Emily Haber, secretary of state in Germany’s Interior Ministry, noted that they have set standards and there would now be no more weapons that can be traded without being registered.
Haber added that once ministers have agreed on their approach, the proposal must be negotiated with the European Parliament before it can be put into law.
Report says the move is part of EU efforts to clamp down on criminal and terrorist activities, including a recent decision to store airline passenger data and measures aimed at terrorist financing.
Meanwhile the ministers were also expected to approve a roadmap aimed at improving the exchange of information between law enforcement and intelligence services across Europe.
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