Firearms regulation in Norway

Last updated

Gun laws in Norway incorporates the political and regulatory aspects of firearms usage in the country. Citizens are allowed to keep firearms (most commonly for hunting, sports shooting). The acquisition and storage of guns is regulated by the state.

Contents

Regulations

Firearms in Norway are regulated by the Firearm Weapons Act, [1] with a new secondary law in effect 1 July 2009 providing more detailed regulation. [2] The act covers all firearms, air pressure weapons, and some "exotic arms" as the act defines. All weapons that would be regulated must have two things in common: they must eject a projectile mechanically and use some form of propellant to perform the ejection. The act includes military type weapons, flare guns and replicas that can "easily" be converted to working firearms. Guns owned and operated under the responsibility of the armed forces and the police are exempt from the civilian weapons act. [1]

The detailed interpretation of the law is laid out in another regulation. [3]

Suppressors are not regulated under Norwegian law, and may be purchased by anyone. Suppressors are also legal while hunting, and seen as a necessity for more comfortable shooting and to lower the environmental impact of noise.

Types of civilian-owned guns

Norway has a large population of hunters. [4] Semi-automatic and bolt-action rifles, as well as shotguns, make up the better part of the guns in civilian homes. There is a total ban on automatic firearms for civilians, unless they fall into the collector category. Modification of semi-automatic guns into fully automatic without the consent of the police is a felony crime.

Handguns have some calibre restrictions. A Smith & Wesson Model 500, for example, is illegal due to its high power, but other, less powerful guns, are legal as they are used in sports shooting. Norway has a long tradition of high-end sports shooting competitions, especially rifle shooting. Each calibre must be used in some type of competition to be allowed. Also, there is a restriction on the number of weapons an owner can have for each calibre. For recreational shooters, only one gun is allowed in each calibre. For professional and semi-professional shooters, a spare gun is allowed. A recreational shooter is only allowed to own four different handguns. To obtain more, documentation on extensive involvement in sport shooting is needed.

Ownership

Gun ownership is restricted in Norway, unless one has officially documented a use for the gun. By far the most common grounds for civilian ownership are hunting and sports shooting, in that order. Other needs can include special guard duties or self-defense, but the first is rare unless the person shows identification confirming that they are a trained guard or member of a law-enforcement agency.

There are special rules for collectors of guns. They are exempt from many parts of the regulation, but, in turn, they must meet even narrower qualifications. Collectors may purchase, but not fire without permission, all kinds of guns in their respective areas of interest, which they have defined in advance.

Ownership is regulated in paragraph 7, [1] and responsibility for issuing a gun ownership license is given to the police authority in the applicant's district.

Rifle and shotgun ownership permission can be given to "sober and responsible" persons 18 years or older. The applicant for the permission must document a need for the weapon. Three exceptions exist to this age qualification. Persons under the age of 18, but over 16 may apply for rifle or shotgun ownership licence with the consent of parents or guardian. For handguns, the ownership age is 21, but a license can be issued to those 18 or older if certain criteria are met. However, such license is valid for only 1 year and must be renewed to avoid revocation. [5] For inherited weapons, it is up to the local police chief to make a decision based on the individual facts of the case.

Obtaining a license

There are two ways of obtaining an ownership license in Norway. The most common is through the process of obtaining a hunting license, the other is through a sports shooting license.

For hunting

To obtain a hunting license, the applicant must complete a 30-hour, 9-session course and pass a written multiple choice exam. The course includes firearm theory, firearm training, wildlife theory, and environmental protection training.

Once the exam is passed, the applicant may enroll in the hunter registry and receive a hunting license. The membership must be renewed each year, through license payment. The hunting license is brought to the police station, where the applicant fills out an application for obtaining the proper firearm for his or her hunt. After evaluation, part of the application is sent back to the applicant if it was approved. Upon approval, the applicant can take the returned form to the store and purchase the firearm listed in the application.

For sports shooters

The qualification process for sporting is theoretically easier, but requires more time and practice. The applicant must enroll in a firearm safety course, lasting at least 9 hours. The course includes a written test, but is shorter than the hunting exam, as it only deals with firearm safety. Two-thirds of the course are completed on the shooting range as practice. The passing of the test results in acceptance to the approved gun club, and a license for competition. However, while the hunters can obtain their firearm almost at once, sports shooters must prove their intentions to compete by actively training or competing in the gun club. This means regular attendance (at least 15 times) at gun club training over the course of six months. The applicant must use firearms owned by the club or borrowed at the range for this period. After six months, the applicant may apply for weapon ownership. The start license and a written recommendation from the gun club president are brought to the police station, and the competition class is filled out on the application. If approved, it will be returned to the applicant as with the hunter license.

In both cases, if the application is rejected, the applicant is allowed an explanation of the reason, and an appeal.

For competition shooters in DFS

For competitive shooters in Det frivillige Skyttervesen (DFS) you will need an active membership for 6 months, and limitations for membership is Norwegian Nationals only. There is training course for youth from age 8 and up to 18, for adults an introduction to safety and behavior on the range is given, no written exams are required. Active members can apply for rifles approved by DFS competitions such as Sauer 200 STR in caliber 6.5×55 Scan, 308 Win, and 22lr only, Other approved rifles is Krag–Jørgensen, Mauser M98, and other competition bolt-action rifles in 22lr with trigger pull of 1.5 kg

Guns in civilian ownership

The laws for storage of firearms are strict.

For shotguns and rifles, the requirement given in the weapons act is to have the firearm, or a vital part of it, securely locked away. Generally, this means an approved gun safe, securely bolted to a non-removable part of the house. (A vital part is considered to be the bolt group—the bolt head will suffice—for rifles, the slide for pistols, or the barrel of a shotgun.)

The police are allowed to make a home inspection of the safe. An inspection must be announced more than 48 hours in advance, and the police are only allowed to see the safe and make sure it is legally installed.

Ammunition is generally only sold to persons with valid weapon license. However, if one is in possession of a legally unregistered shotgun bought before 1 April 1990, and is in the hunter registry, one can purchase shotgun ammunition by showing a firearms license or a hunting permit at the place of purchase. Without a special permit only 10,000 rounds of ammunition can be stored by a single person, or 15,000 rounds if 5,000 of them are .22 LR or smaller calibre.

Older rules stated that the ammunition must be locked away separately, but these rules were abandoned in the latest revision of the weapons act.

Transportation

The owner must always have a good reason to bring the weapon to a public place. Such reasons include transportation to a range or hunting area, transportation for repairs, or for maintenance and hobby activities.

During transportation, the weapon must be empty and concealed, but not worn on the body, and under the constant supervision of the owner. This applies equally to replicas, air guns and decommissioned firearms.

Homeloading

Homeloading is legal in Norway if you have a weapon license. You can only load for calibres you have a weapon license on or a “loan permit”. You can have up to 5kg of smokeless powder in your house and a maximum of 10,000 primers.

You can also have 3kg of black powder outside of your house in maximum 1kg boxes, hence you can have three 1kg boxes. They needed to be stored in the original plastic container and stored in a wooden box with walls separating the containers. It can’t also be stored in a room with open heat source like a fireplace or oven [6]

Firearm ownership

As of 2017 there are 1,329,000 (or 25 per 100 people) registered firearms owned by 486,028 (or 36% of population) people in Norway. [7]

Related Research Articles

Gun laws and policies, collectively referred to as firearms regulation or gun control, regulate the manufacture, sale, transfer, possession, modification, and use of small arms by civilians. Laws of some countries may afford civilians a right to keep and bear arms, and have more liberal gun laws than neighboring jurisdictions. Countries that regulate access to firearms will typically restrict access to certain categories of firearms and then restrict the categories of persons who may be granted a license for access to such firearms. There may be separate licenses for hunting, sport shooting, self-defense, collecting, and concealed carry, with different sets of requirements, permissions, and responsibilities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shotgun</span> Firearm intended for firing a bolus of small pellets

A shotgun is a long-barreled firearm designed to shoot a straight-walled cartridge known as a shotshell, which usually discharges numerous small pellet-like spherical sub-projectiles called shot, or sometimes a single solid projectile called a slug. Shotguns are most commonly smoothbore firearms, meaning that their gun barrels have no rifling on the inner wall, but rifled barrels for shooting slugs are also available.

Firearms in Canada are federally regulated through the Firearms Act and related provisions of the Criminal Code. Regulation is largely about licensing and registration of firearms, including air guns with a muzzle velocity of more than 500 ft/s or 150 m/s and muzzle energy greater than 4.2 ft⋅lb or 5.7 J.

In the United Kingdom, access by the general public to firearms is subject to some of the strictest control measures in the world. However, fulfilment of the criteria and requirements as laid out by the laws results in the vast majority of firearm licence applications being approved. Laws differ slightly in Northern Ireland due to Northern Ireland having its own firearms legislation. Concerns have been raised over the availability of illegal firearms.

Firearms regulation in Finland incorporates the political and regulatory aspects of firearms usage in the country. Both hunting and shooting sports are common hobbies. There are approximately 300,000 people with hunting permits, and 34,000 people belong to sport shooting clubs. Over 1,500 people are licensed weapons collectors. Additionally, many reservists practice their skills using their own semi-automatic rifles and pistols after the military service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Firearms regulation in Switzerland</span>

Firearms regulation in Switzerland allows the acquisition of semi-automatic, and – with a may-issue permit – fully automatic firearms, by Swiss citizens and foreigners with or without permanent residence. The laws pertaining to the acquisition of firearms in Switzerland are amongst the most liberal in the world. Swiss gun laws are primarily about the acquisition of arms, and not ownership. As such a license is not required to own a gun by itself, but a shall-issue permit is required to purchase most types of firearms. Bolt-action rifles do not require an acquisition permit, and can be acquired with just a background check. A reason is not required to be issued an acquisition permit for semi-automatics unless the reason is other than sport-shooting, hunting, or collecting. Permits for concealed carrying in public are issued sparingly. The acquisition of fully automatic weapons, suppressors and target lasers requires special permits issued by the cantonal firearms office. Police use of hollow point ammunition is limited to special situations.

In South Africa, the Firearms Control Act 60 of 2000 regulates the possession of firearms by civilians. Possession of a firearm is conditional on a competency test and several other factors, including background checking of the applicant, inspection of an owner's premises, and licensing of the weapon by the police introduced in July 2004. In 2010, the process was undergoing review, as the police were not able to timely process either competency certification, new licences or renewal of existing licences. Minimum waiting period used to exceed 2 years from date of application. The Central Firearms Registry implemented a turnaround strategy that has significantly improved the processing period of new licences. The maximum time allowed to process a licence application is now 90 days.

The crossbow often has a complicated legal status due to its potential use for lethal purposes, and its similarities with both firearms and other archery weapons. The crossbow is, for legal purposes, often categorized as a firearm by various legal jurisdictions, despite the fact that no combustion is required to propel the projectile.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antique firearms</span> Firearms older than 20th century

An antique firearm is a term to describe a firearm that was designed and manufactured prior to the beginning of the 20th century. Although the exact definition of what constitutes an "antique firearm" varies between countries, the advent of smokeless powder or the start of the Boer War are often used as cut-off dates. Antique firearms are usually collected because of their historical interest and/or their monetary value.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Title II weapons</span> Class of weapons under the National Firearms Act

Title II weapons, or NFA firearms, are designations of certain weapons under the United States National Firearms Act (NFA).

The gun laws of New Zealand are contained in the Arms Act 1983 statute, which includes multiple amendments including those that were passed subsequent to the 1990 Aramoana massacre and the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings.

In Germany, access to guns is controlled by the German Weapons Act which adheres to the European Firearms Directive, first enacted in 1972, and superseded by the law of 2003. This federal statute regulates the handling of firearms and ammunition as well as acquisition, storage, commerce and maintenance of firearms.

This is a list of laws concerning air guns by country.

Gun control in Italy incorporates the political and regulatory aspects of firearms usage in the country within the framework of the European Union's Firearm Directive. Different types of gun licenses can be obtained from the national police authorities. According to a 2007 study by The Small Arms Survey Project, the per capita gun ownership rate in Italy is around 12% with an estimated 7 million registered firearms in circulation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gun laws in New York</span>

Gun laws in New York regulate the sale, possession, and use of firearms and ammunition in the U.S. state of New York, outside of New York City which has separate licensing regulations. These regulations are very strict in comparison to the rest of the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gun laws in Massachusetts</span> Massachusettss gun law

Gun laws in Massachusetts regulate the sale, possession, and use of firearms and ammunition in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. These laws are among the most restrictive in the entire country.

This article is about the firearms policy in the Republic of Ireland. Irish law allows firearm possession on may-issue basis. With approximately seven civilian firearms per 100 people, Ireland is the 107th most armed country in the world.

To buy a firearm in France, in line with the European Firearms Directive, a hunting license or a shooting sport license is necessary depending on the type, function and magazine capacity of the weapon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gun laws in American Samoa</span>

Gun laws in American Samoa regulate the sale, possession, and use of firearms and ammunition in the unincorporated territory of American Samoa. As American Samoa is an unincorporated territory of the United States, many U.S. federal laws apply, as well as Constitutional rulings and protections.

Austrian law allows firearm possession on shall-issue basis with certain classes of shotguns and rifles available without permit. With approximately 30 civilian firearms per 100 people, Austria is the 14th most armed country in the world.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Lov om skytevåpen og ammunisjon m.v." Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  2. ↑ http://www.regjeringen.no/upload/JD/Vedlegg/Forskrifter/Vapenforskriften.pdf Våpenforskriften
  3. ↑ "Forskrift om skytevåpen, våpendeler og ammunisjon" . Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  4. ↑ "At the start of the new hunting year on 1 April 2008, 417,400 hunters were registered by the Norwegian Register of Hunters". Archived from the original on 7 October 2007. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  5. ↑ "Lov om våpen, skytevåpen, våpendelar og ammunisjon (våpenlova) - Kapittel 5 Kven som kan erverve og ha skytevåpen, våpendelar og ammunisjon - Lovdata". lovdata.no. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  6. ↑ "Forskrift om våpen, skytevåpen, våpendelar og ammunisjon (våpenforskrifta) - Kapittel 6. Oppbevaring, transport og sending av skytevåpen, våpendelar og ammunisjon - Lovdata". lovdata.no. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  7. ↑ "Nå er det over 1,3 millioner private skytevåpen i Norge. To distrikter troner klart øverst på våpenstatistikken". 10 February 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.