Report: Easier To Acquire A Rifle Than A Pistol In The Netherlands

A recently conducted report claimed that it is easier to acquire a rifle than a pistol in the Netherlands.

“The darknet and the internet just simplified the purchase of firearms; you order, pay in bitcoins, and you get the weapon delivered by a courier,” one of the researchers stated.

According to the report, law enforcement authorities in the Netherlands are seizing about 200 firearms in the course of a few weeks. Therefore, Holland seems to be a hub in a network of international arms smugglers. The researchers stated that it is always easier to get a rifle than a pistol.

During a raid at a suspected drug criminal in Amsterdam late last year, investigators discovered an AK-47 assault rifle, wrapped in a gift paper. This discovery, according to the report, illustrates the changing climate on the crime scene in the Netherlands. There has been an increase in the number of illegal heavy arms in the country.

Police figures show that they seized more than 200 machine guns in 2014; heavy automatic assault weapons, which barrels can fire bullets in a minimal time. In addition to that, law enforcement authorities confiscated a further 3,942 rifles, pistols and revolvers, 1,543 replica weapons, and 702 individual parts for firearms. Since then, particularly the proportion of heavy weapons have increased. Therefore, firearm specialists ask for increased attention in trading, in order to curb the threat of these weapons.

“Rumor has it that the bulk of the seized weapons come from the former East bloc and that the Netherlands is a hub for the international transport of heavy firearms. But that is only partly true, “one of the researchers said. “The Netherlands indeed acts as a pivot, and many weapons come from Eastern Bloc countries, but not all. Many also come precisely from the EU Member States. Although, I have also seen myself what all comes from Eastern Europe.”

On April 25th, 2017, the European Council adopted a new directive on control of the acquisition and possession of weapons, which revises and complements existing directive 91/477/ECC. In the new directive, the European Union seeks to strengthen the rules for the acquisition of the firearms in the member states. The revision also tightens the rule on the traceability of the weapons, which, according to the European Council, will “improve the traceability of firearms used in criminal activities, including those which have been assembled from components acquired separately.” In addition to that, there will be new rules for registering deactivated weapons that fall under category C. Also, some dangerous semi-automatic firearms have now been added to category A and are therefore prohibited for civilian use. This is the case for short semi-automatic firearms with loading devices over 20 rounds and long semi-automatic firearms with loading devices over 10 rounds. The most dangerous firearms, which also fall under category A, could be only acquired by citizens if an EU member states grant an exemption to him or her. However, the rules for giving exemptions have also been strengthened. Finally, the Commission will propose the establishment of a system, which will be used to exchange information electronically between member states in weapon-related questions, such as the transfer of a firearm from a member state to another country.