A committee comprised of members from the European Parliament and Council has reached a consensus on establishing a database that will monitor the vast number of firearms estimated to be in possession of civilians throughout the European Union. According to Politico, it is believed that there are over “35 million” privately owned firearms, and the objective of tracking these weapons is to combat gang violence and terrorism.
This database initiative comes as a result of the transition from paper-based records to electronic records in gun stores in 2022. The electronic records can now be consolidated into a centralized list, facilitating more efficient monitoring and control.
Bernd Lange, a member of the parliament’s trade committee, said, “There are still inadequate controls on the import and export of handguns. In Latin America for instance, many illegal activities and shootings use handguns smuggled in from Europe; revising the inadequate rules was more than overdue.”
Czech Parliament Passes New Gun Control Expanding Doctor Access to Gun Owner Databases https://t.co/inCM4ECvi3
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) March 8, 2024
Gun control gradually spread throughout Europe in the 20th century, with Britain being a notable example. According to a report by the Daily Mail online in 2009, the implementation of The Firearm Act of 1997, which marked the culmination of gun control measures in Britain, resulted in a significant increase in violence. The report even went as far as describing Britain as “the most violent country in Europe.” It highlighted that the rates of violence in the UK surpassed those of the United States and South Africa.