MISSING PIECES - Inter-Parliamentary Union

MISSING PIECES
guns out of the hands of children, ensuring that prospective owners
and users are screened for a history of violence or criminal activity
and ensuring as well, that each individual possesses a basic knowledge
of firearms safety.”
—Canadian statement at the UN Review Conference, 26 June 2006
As noted, a number of countries have initiated and/or implemented
significantly more restrictive gun control policies in the past decade. There
is wide variation in the approaches being taken, but national arms control
laws in most countries are based on a combination of the following: prohibiting/restricting
certain uses of guns; prohibiting/restricting certain
users of guns; and prohibiting/restricting certain guns. 47 In many cases,
new laws establish or strengthen regulations in all three of these areas, as
was the case with the overhaul of Belgium’s national gun laws in 2006 (see
Box 2).
BOX 2 HATE CRIME SPURS BELGIAN PARLIAMENT TO MODERNISE
NATIONAL GUN LAWS
With a rate of firearm-related deaths of 3.16 per 100,000, over three quarters
of which are suicides, Belgium is a country affected by small arms violence.
As elsewhere, many of these deaths could be prevented through tighter
controls on the acquisition, possession and use of firearms. In June 2006 the
Belgian parliament took the long-awaited step of modernising its national
gun laws, bringing standards into line with other European countries, including
Holland, Germany and the United Kingdom. The new law improved a
system riddled with loopholes in which anyone with a valid ID could instantly
purchase a gun over the counter. Unfortunately, it took a high-profile killing
for the government to act.
Reform of the previous regulatory system had been in the works since
2002 but stalled due to staunch opposition in some quarters. When in May
2006 a teenager bought a hunting rifle from an Antwerp gun store and—
motivated by racism—used it the same day to kill an African nurse and the
baby in her care, the legislation was quickly revived, revised and passed into
law. It raises the threshold for owner licensing, improves the marking and
registration of weapons, introduces tighter regulations of gun dealers, and
raises penalties for breaking the law.
Under the new law, prospective gun owners must first obtain a license,
requiring a three-month practical and theoretical procedure, including
police screening and a physical and mental health check. The applicant must
also prove familiarity with the law and with safe gun handling standards.
Spousal approval will be sought before delivering a licence. The license is
valid for five years and must be renewed. Importantly, each applicant must
now show a “legitimate use”, which, in addition to hunting and sports
shooting, can include job-related duties, protection in the case of individuals
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