On Tuesday, a European Parliament committee revealed estimates that there are about 35 million illegal firearms in the hands of civilians in the European Union, noting that this represents about 56 percent of the total firearms in the bloc countries.
The European Parliament’s International Trade Affairs Committee said estimates also show about 630,000 firearms being listed as stolen or missing, reports Al-Rai daily.
The Chairman of the Committee stated, “These numbers are simply shocking and unacceptable… What is worse is that member states are not obliged to provide mandatory data on imports and exports.”
He explained, “There are no numbers at all for imports, so the number of illegal firearms could be higher than that.”
Today, the Committee adopted a draft law relating to the import and export of firearms for civilian use in the European Union.
The draft law, which makes the import and export of firearms more transparent, was supported by a majority of 26 votes, against two votes against, with 3 abstentions.
The draft law is expected to be presented for discussion before the full European Parliament next November.
The draft law stipulates that members of the European Parliament request an annual general report from the European Commission regarding the export and import of firearms, including the number of licensing and rejection processes.
