2023-10-03 04:49:00
Firearms are regularly seized in a legal context, such as during searches or in cases of flagrante delicto. These weapons seized by the police are then deposited at the court registry and it is the King’s prosecutor who decides their fate: restitution or destruction. If the prosecutor decides to have the weapons destroyed, this destruction is done via the Liège Firearms Test Bench, the official body designated for this purpose.
On the other hand, nothing has been planned until now when citizens spontaneously report to the police with a view to abandoning a weapon. A bill and a draft royal decree from Minister Van Quickenborne, approved in the Council of Ministers shortly before the holidays, now offer a solution to this impasse.
The texts thus provide that the governor is now authorized to decide the fate of these weapons, following verification by the police that they are not reported in a criminal file. It is also planned that the governor can designate a private company for the destruction and no longer just the Weapons Test Bench in Liège, with the local police having to ensure that the weapons are actually destroyed.
A digital register containing information on each weapon sold and all the weapons that the merchant has in stock will also be imposed on gunsmiths. Until now, a paper register was sufficient. Finally, the rules relating to arms exchanges will also be strengthened.
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