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GUN CONTROL LAWS IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES
Prepared by Members of the Staff
Revised 1976
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Library of Congress
LAW LIBRARY
AmericanuBritish Law Division
European Law Division
Far Eastern Law Division
Hispanic Law Division
Near Eastern and African Law Division
GUN CONTROL LAWS IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES
Prepared by Members of the Staff
Revised 1976
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Argentina 1
Australia 15
Austria 21
Belgium 29
Bulgaria 33
Burma 37
Canada 41
(hile 51
China (People's Republic) 55
Czechoslovakia 59
France 71
Germany (Federal Republic) 77
Great Britain 93
Greece 101
Hong Kong 107
India ll3
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Israel 115
Italy 123
Japan 129
Mexico 141
Netherlands 145
Norway and Other Scandinavian Countries 149
Poland 155
Romania 163
Singapore 167
Switzerland 175
USSR 181
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LAW LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
The major responsibility of the Law Library of
Congress is to provide with reference
Cong~ess
and research service in foreign, international,
and comparative law in addition to reference
service in American law.
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provide reference and research service concern
ing all major and most legal systems, past and
present.
Services provided Congress in foreign, inter
national, and comparative law include: prepa
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materials from the legal collection for the use
of Members and staff; and the translation of legal
documents and correspondence.
ARGENTINA
•
Control of handgunE' in Argentin':l is governed basically by Law
20,429, its regulation and amendments, and Law 20,467, all enacted in 1973.
I. The Basic Statute
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The basic statute on firearms is Law 20,429 of May 21, 1973,
which repealed the previous basic statute on the matter, Law 13,945 of
2/
September 15, 1950.-
A. General Scope
The current enactment provides that the acquisition, use, posses-
sion, carrying, transfer under whatever title, transportation, entry into
the country, and importation of firearms or explosives designed for launching
by hand or any other throwing devices, "aggressive" chemicals of whatever
kind, and any other materials classified as weapons of war, gunpowder, and
related substances. as well as weapons, ammunition, and other material clas-
sified as of civil use are subject to control under the current statute
the national territory with the following exceptions:
~hroughout
a) Activities concerning weapons, materials, and substanceR
referred to above, when performed by the armed forces of the nation.
b) Sharp and blunt weapons, provided they are not included
~ either as integral parts of or as accessories to items classified as weapons
of war.
r
!/ Boletiu Oficial [B.D.], July 5, 1973.
~/ B.D., Oct. 13, 1950.
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2. Argentina
•
B. Central Authority and Enforcement Agency
All the activities in the purview of this law and concerning
materials clasflifi'ed as weap01,S of war, importation of weapons of civil
use, and any other activities involving the use of gunpowder, explosives,
and related substances are under the control and supervision of the Ministry
of Defense.
The control of weapons of wpr and related activities as well as
the importation of weapons of civil use and related activities is entrusted
::'0 the Registro Nacional de Armas (National Registry of Arms). Concerning
gunpowder, explosives, and related substances, surveillance is entrusted to
the Direccion General de Fabricaciones Militares (Board of Military Industries).
The control of all other activities related to materials clas
sified as weapons of civil use i::> entrusted to the local authorities under
the supervision of the Ministry of Defense, through its National Registry
of Arms.
The Miuiatry of Defense is empowered to summon private individuals,
establishments, or corporations to appear before the National Registry of
Arms at its discretion for tnspection. Appearance of thF' parties concerned
before the Registry shall always be supported by all related documentation.
Storage, shops, or repair and display areas may be subject to
inspection and surveillance at all times. Alterations or modifications of
original versions of weapons are penalized, except when expressly authorized
Argentina 3.
•
by the competent authority who may act only by request of the legitimate
owners or users.
The executive branch is empowered to issue regulations concerning
the requirements for recording of registrations in the National R~gistry of
Arms. These regulations shall include terms, format, number of books, &nd
supporting information, as well as procedural provisions to be observed
for importation. Content and format of bills of lading, invoices, certifi
cates, listings, and related shipping documents shall also be subject to
regulatory measures.
C. Basic Classification
All weapons are classified as follows:
- Weapons of war;
- Weapons of civil use; or
- Gunpowder, explosives, and related substances.
The executiv~ branch is empowered by the statute to issue pertinent
regulations for each of the above classes. These regulations are expected to
determine, from among the weapons in the first two classes, which are to
be assigned for the exclusive use of the armed forces and the police, which
are to be subject to conditional or restricted civil use, or to special uses,
and finally, which are absolutely forbidden to be used.
All the materials subject to the provisions of this statute shall
bear a serial number and other factory or authority identification markings,
either engraved or stamped in accordance with the regulations to be issued.
4. Argentina
•
D. Ma:nufac ture and Shipping
The man1facture and shipping of these materials will continue
1
to be governed by Law 12,709 and the pertinent customs These
regulat~ons.
materials are barred from entering the national territory except in those
cases specifically permitted by the laws and regulations. Bills of lading,
consular invoices, certificates of shipping, and any other docmnentation
concerning these items shall be neither accepted nor certified by the con
sulates of the republic if the name of the addressee, receiver, or con
signee can not be determined.
The use of the postal services is forbidden for the shipping of
these materials. The same prohibition is applicable to the circulation
thereof within the national territory. Exceptions are restrictively pro
vided by the law.
E. Weapons of War
All weapons of war the national territory shall be registered
~Yithin
in the National Registry of Arms, with the exception of those assigned to
the arilled forces. Persons within the purview of this statute shall provide
the National Registry authorities with all the data required within the terms
and in the manner legally prescribed.
The importation of weapons in this class and their entry into the
national terr._tory are matters governed by the following basic norms.
Private individuals are permitted to import these items only after express
Argentina 5.
authorization has been granted. All items in this class shall otherwise
be retained by customs until full evidence of such authorization has
been presented. There are alternatives for cases in which the author
ization was When there is no action on the part of the affected
d~nied.
receiver within the term of 180 days, counted from the date of the noti
fication of the denial, the State shall seize and expropriate the ship
ment. The authorized entry of such material into the country shall only
be made through the ports and custom houses designated by the
~~ecutive
branch.
Armed vessels and vessels loaded with materials included in
this class are barred from cruising in the territorial waters of the
republic, except when a license to do so has been issued by the competent
authority. The same restriction is extended to aircraft flying over these
waters and the national territory.
A special license is also required when there is tr~~sit of
weapons of war through the national territory en route to another
c~untry.
Temporary storage of this material when needed or required will be allowed
only in places especially designated.
Weapons of war may not be subj~ct to transactions of any kind
except under the following circumstances. The selling of items in this
class may only be conducted by duly registered importers, industrialists,
or businessmen in favor of individuals, establishments, or corporations so
designated by this statut~. They are: security personnel, members of the
6. Argentina
police force, members of the armed forces, settlers of underpopulated
areas or regions where enforcement agencies are either scarce or non
existent, professional hunters, rifle associations and their members,
vessels and airports (with restrictions), and institutions with a demon
strated need for security. Any loss or misplacement of weapons by the
above shall be immediately reported to the National Regist~y of Arms
through the local authorities. Transactions involving wea~0ns whose use
is forbidden are, as a general rule, outlawed. Exceptions are to b~
expressly granted by the executive branch.
Persons and private or public institutions who have in their
possession weapons of war at the time of the enactment of this law shall
register them in the National Registry of Arms within the terms estab
lished thereby. Individuals affected by criminal charges related to illegal
possession of weapons in this class are given the benefit of amnesty, pro
vided they proceed to register within the prescribed terms.
The statute further provides for a number of procedural and penal
aspects as well as for special norms on seizure and expropriation of pri
vately owned weapons in this class.
All licenses issued prior to the enactment of this statute either
for the possessic1 or for the carrying of weapons of '(-Tar shall be ratified
and reissued by the competent authority, provided they conform to the
current statute and regulations. Materials in this category which are not