Firearms smuggling, trafficking challenge for EU: Maltese minister

The fight against firearms smuggling and trafficking remains a challenge for EU member states and the EU as whole, said Malta's Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela on Saturday.


There is concern regarding such smuggling and trafficking by organized crime groups as well as the presence of improperly deactivated firearms on the market.

A preliminary political agreement on the revision of EU rules on firearms was proposed in December 2016. This agreement is now subject to confirmation and will be put to a vote before being formally approved by the EU Council of Ministers.

Some arms collectors and target shooters, however, are unhappy with this agreement, arguing that it will have a serious impact on legal firearm bearers, but little effect on illegal use of weapons by terrorists and criminals.

The minister said all EU member states are expected to adopt it as their national legislation, but stressed that only certain elements of the Directive will be mandatory.

"We all know that neither organized crime nor terrorism will, at the end of the day, bother with our firearms legislation. What we have undertaken so far is merely an additional effort to make it difficult for such criminals to make use of legitimate firearms," explained the minister.
  [Xinhua/China]
8/1/17