The date on Tuesday 1 March 2016 was chosen by the Federation of Hunting and Conservation Associations of the European Union (better known as FACE) to organize a conference at the European Parliament in Brussels to discuss the Community Arms Directive. The argument is deeply felt, as recalled and stressed several times by other associations, first and foremost the Directive Committee 477, and the federation that promotes hunting in harmony with sustainable exploitation and conservation of biodiversity has invited prominent speakers. The organization was organized with the president of the Intergroup on Hunting, the European parliamentarian Karl-Heinz Florenz, without forgetting the vice president of the same Intergroup, Bendt Bendtsen, who will have the task of "managing" the debate.
The meeting will last for two hours, to be precise from 13 to 15. The list of speakers is soon said. First of all, it will intervene Tomasz Husak, Head of the Cabinet of Commissioner Bienkowska (Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises). There will be then Torbjorn Larsson, vice president of the Alliance of Nordic Hunters, Jurgen Kohlheim (European Confederation of Tire), Günther Sablattnig (European Council) e Vicky Ford, MEP who deals with reports for the arms directive.
Among the main concerns complained of by the aforementioned Directive Committee 477 is the limitation of the use of weapons also imposed on hunters and athletes: the EU intervened with this directive after the recent terrorist attacks that shocked France, with the aim of strictly regulating the market for civilian weapons. This is a change to a previous directive, the 477 of the 1991 (“Control of the acquisition and possession of weapons”).
During the conference, therefore, we will talk about the innovations introduced, such as for example the widening of the scope of application of the rules on the possession and trade in arms as regards collectors, which have been identified as a potential source of illegal trafficking, or the prohibition of possession and exchange of the firearms that are considered the most dangerous even when they are deactivated.
There will be references to the uniform marking system at Community level, to the exchange of information between member states on authorizations for arms transfers and the introduction of the time limit of five years in relation to the authorization for the purchase and possession of firearms, but the "meat on the fire" is undoubtedly a lot. For sure the emergency cannot be compared to that of the United States, but conferences like that of FACE can help to better understand the situation and to reassure citizens.