The Government and the Sweden Democrats want to ban hunters from having semi-automatic weapons of military type, such as AR-15, announced Minister of Justice Gunnar Strömmer (M) on Friday.
We understand that one wants to act after the horrific act of madness that occurred in Örebro, and that one wants to make society safer, says Carl-Johan Djurstedt Holm, Secretary-General of the Swedish Hunters Association.
He continues:
But legislation is rarely good if it is rushed through. We are happy to participate in a process to develop and make society safer. But we believe it requires some reflection and analysis before moving forward and making quick decisions.
Carl-Johan Djurstedt Holm emphasizes several times that "unsuitable individuals should not have legal weapons".
That is a basic principle. Then it is actually the case that legal weapons are rarely used in crimes. So the measures should primarily be aimed at preventing school shootings and other acts of madness, and making society safer.
The Government is also assigning the police and the National Board of Health and Welfare to strengthen their work on assessing whether a person is suitable to have a weapon license. Something that Carl-Johan Djurstedt Holm is cautiously positive about.
The police estimated last spring that around 3,500 hunters have been granted permission to possess firearms of AR-type.
And we still do not know if it was such a weapon that was involved in the act in Örebro, says Carl-Johan Djurstedt Holm.
