EU to propose banning semi auto "weapons"

[shotgun sam]

Here is the reply I got from my MEP
Dear Sam,

Thank you for getting in touch with the office about your concerns over the European Commission's strengthening of firearms control across the EU.

I understand your concern about the timing of the press release and the announcement from the Commission. Terrorist attacks have, in the past, been used an excuse to pass through hasty, ill-advised authoritarian legislation such as the 2011 Patriot Act only one month after 9/11. However, I disagree that this is one of these occasions.

The plans presented were first proposed in the European Security Agenda, adopted in 2015. The Commission itself accepts that in light of the recent horrific attacks on Paris the implementation of the plan has been significantly accelerated. This is not to say that the attacks are the reason for the measures.

One of the new provisions proposed by the Commission is to modify the classification regarding a specific category of semi-automatic firearms. These specific weapons ("semi-automatic firearms which resemble weapons with automatic mechanisms"), classified under the existing Directive in category B7 as legal weapons subject to an authorisation, would be classified as prohibited weapons. My group is going to assess very carefully all the possible implications of this proposed change. We generally share the Commission's view that at least some semi-automatic firearms pose a threat to security because they can easily be converted to automatic firearms or have the capacity to cause considerable damages due to the high number of rounds. We believe in any case that there is a need to clarify and harmonise at EU level the rules defining which weapons are particularly dangerous and should therefore be banned for civil use.

I understand the concerns expressed by many hunters and sport shooters who feel the risk of an amalgam between their activities and terrorism, or fear the addition of useless restrictions to the legal exercise of their activities. This was not the purpose of the 2008 Directive and it should not become an effect of the upcoming revision.

I am convinced that the European Parliament and the Member States in the Council as co-legislators will find suitable solutions during the legislative process allowing to combine the peaceful pursuit of the activities of hunters and sport shooters with the measures needed to reinforce the security of all citizens. My group in Parliament is determined to support or propose measures which bring real and concrete improvements to the security of citizens, rather than provisions which would merely serve a purpose of window dressing.

In addition to this issue of semi-automatic firearms, there are many other measures proposed by the Commission and/or proposals that my group wants to put forward in the framework of this revision. The existing legislation contains a series of loopholes for instance in terms of deactivation, registration and marking of firearm, their parts, components and ammunition, of online acquisition of such products, as well as in terms of information exchange between authorities in charge of controls. We will be attentive to propose the most appropriate measures in order to efficiently protect the security of all the citizens.

I hope this answers your question in a full and frank manner. Given your interest in the work of the office, I will if I may add you to our email list. Your email is of course kept strictly confidential, we are registered under the Data Protection Act and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Yours aye,

Alyn

[nearly there]

I received the above and this...


Thank you for your email regarding Directive 91/477/EEC.



Europe's firearms legislation is currently inadequate. There is clear evidence that criminals and terrorists can and do make use of the lack of common standards on deactivating firearms, the lack of a common system for marking firearm components, the poor control on internet sales and the lack of common definition for “essential components”. For these reasons, my Conservative colleagues and I welcome the Directive and support the aims within it.



The European Parliament is still in the very early stages of considering the Directive. As it progresses through Parliament, we will seek to ensure the new rules and restrictions set will have the practical effect of bolstering security when they are applied, and that we correct the failures described above in current legislation. Similarly, we will also seek to ensure that the rules are sufficiently tailored so that they do not give rise to unintended consequences in the museums, sports and hunting sectors.



Recent events in Paris and the continued threat of terrorism across Europe highlight the need for robust firearms legislation. My Conservative colleagues and I are committed to delivering it.



Thank you again for taking the time to write to me.



Yours sincerely,



Ian Duncan

Conservative MEP for Scotland

[bowji John]

No support from there then !!

It all boils down to whether the semi auto ban is aimed at bringing other countries into line with what we have or whether they will use the opportunity to target our .22 Rimfires.

Also whether they take a further opportunity to target single shot rifles with an ergonomic design that looks ''all combaty''.

I'm not expecting sense to prevail

[morph007]

Cheers for putting that up Shotgun Sam.

The lines that caught my eye were,

"My group in Parliament is determined to support or propose measures which bring real and concrete improvements to the security of citizens, rather than provisions which would merely serve a purpose of window dressing"

Now seeing as the firearms used are either illegally sourced live firing or converted from poorly deactivated firearms the idea that removing our legally owned ones is not going to improve the security of their citizens one tiny bit. To me "measures which bring real and concrete improvements to the security of citizens" would include proper European border control and the hunting down of those criminal gangs providing these illegal firearms in the first place.

Other lines being "Terrorist attacks have, in the past, been used as an excuse to pass through hasty, ill-advised authoritarian legislation" and "This is not to say that the attacks are the reason for the measures". Well in his own words "in light of the recent horrific attacks on Paris the implementation of the plan has been significantly accelerated."

[bofor]

I thought I read somewhere in all this talk that they were debating this today Dec 7th and report or implement on Jan 16th.
Are these dates correct ?

[The Event]

FYI If anyone is under the delusion that if this is passed it'll only be .22 and 12b 'military looking' rifles/shotguns that will get legisalted against in this country you're living in a dream world. While the outline of to directive may only refer to those types, the subsequent legislation in THIS country to impliment the directive will be framed in the manner of other firearms acts, none of which make any reference to the asthetics of the gun, they all go for the action/function on the gun. Do people really think they'll bother to distinguish between a straight beech stocked 10/22 and a ATI black stocked one when they can simply ban them both/only way to make sure you don't add a black stock to your 10/22 action after the fact (as they are registered/traceable items)?

I can't help thinking you're right about that. I don't see Govt. officials sitting down to decide if the GSG 1911 LBP resembles the Star Model MD or not etc.
Instead they'll just ban all semi automatics to make it easier on themselves.

[polemass]

Yes,folks-reading was yesterday,what a total flop...First all "commissionaries" had problem to communicate between each other,then looks apparently they do not know what are they talking about-"3 rounds are 31 bullets..." and "kalashnikov this ,kalashnikov that-you can buy full auto kit on internet...."

[Chuck]

This sums it up:

http://nypost.com/2015/12/07/the-futili ... n-control/

[bowji John]

In the light of recent tragic events the EU commission is proposing new fast tracked legislation banning the sale and ownership of kitchen knives and cutlery sets - the legislation will not include plastic butter knives though the commission intends to monitor the situation on an ongoing basis.

The commission is setting aside 2.5 billion euro in order to facilitate training in the techniques of 'eating with fingers' - to be rolled out to all member countries in the new year

Next year the commission will be examining the problem of unlicensed wooden spoons.

[bowji John]

On a serious note - just received this from my MEP in response to my letter to him .......

Dear Mr Clark,

Thank you for your letter about the EU Firearms directive.

It raises important issues.

First, may I make a practical observation?

The reality is that weapons controls are as strict in the UK as anywhere in the world that we are aware of. From routinely armed police, through ordinary shops selling items which would not be on sale in the same way in the UK, to the numbers of guns, the UK operates tight controls by comparison with many other EU countries.

That provides the backdrop for our overall approach.

We do not want the UK to be collateral damage to European bureaucratic tightening.

Our approach, therefore, is to analyse and understand practical consequences and ensure that planned legislation does not inconvenience and remove the rights of ordinary people. At the same time, we will try to ensure that the proposals offer the highest possible level of genuine security protection.

In short, the topic is one where the devil lies in the detail.

We, in the EFDD and UKIP will therefore read the small print of what is proposed and ensure it will work in the real world.

You can potentially help us achieve this.

If you identify legal non-sense which will damage ordinary people unnecessarily whilst at the same time not improving security, please do let us know?

Our goal is to scrutinise what is proposed in a manner which both protects your freedoms and keeps you secure.

I hope that helps.

Yours sincerely,
William Dartmouth MEP