Working group considering new weapons legislation starts work Monday

Ban considered on lethal air guns, crossbows, and slingshots

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Sales of powerful air guns, crossbows, slingshots, certain types of knives, and other weapons used primarily for killing people could be banned under pending legislation on firearms, said Jouni Laiho of the Ministry of the Interior on Friday.
      Laiho notes that at present there are air guns freely available in stores that are more efficient than the murder weapon used at the Kauhajoki school massacre last week. “Certain air rifles are used for hunting elk”, Laiho notes.
     Possession and transport of objects or substances that can be used for harming people is illegal in public places, but many types of lethal weapons are freely available.
     It is not yet certain that consideration of restrictions on these weapons will be in the first, most urgent phase of the law on firearms, or in the second phase. The working group set up to prepare a bill for the new law will start its work on Monday.
     
A proposal to ban crossbows and slingshots, the “Lex Muranen” bill, was drawn up at the Ministry of the Interior already in the mid-1990s. The proposed law was named after Mika Muranen, who used a crossbow and an assault rifle to kill two people in Kotka in 1994.
     However, the draft was never brought before Parliament. Distinguishing between legal and illegal weapons was seen as a problem. Laiho says that the definitions need to be very precise, and that it will be difficult in the new proposal as well.
     Privacy issues also need to be addressed. Laiho feels that it is important to get the data systems of the Social Insurance Institution (KELA), the Defence Forces, and the police to communicate with each other.
     Sweden has plans to increase the mutual compatibility of the data registers of social welfare authorities and the police. Laiho feels that such a move should also be considered in Finland.
     
Minister of the Interior Anne Holmlund (Nat. Coalition Party) said that in drawing up the changes, legislators will not pay too much heed to the needs of gun owners. she admits that when the present law was passed in 1998, “the wishes of certain interest groups” were followed excessively.
     Now the aim is to get a new, tougher gun law, the minister said at the Security and Defence Fair in Lahti on Friday.
     However, she added: “We also need to consider that nowadays there are many who have shooting as a hobby”.
     “There are people who have behaved in a very responsible manner for decades. There is no reason why they should be punished. It is in everybody’s interests that unsuitable applicants for gun licences should be weeded out, because they give a bad name to legitimate hobbyists.”


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Government wants to restrict access to handguns (25.9.2008)
  Prime Minister open to ban on private possession of handguns (24.9.2008)

Helsingin Sanomat