Slovakia rejects EU gun laws

The new directive on the acquirement and ownership of firearms, which has been proposed by Brussels, would prohibit possessing some kinds of firearms that are currently permitted and would introduce a firearms registry. This was reported by the SME daily on Monday, writing that such restrictions would punish ordinary people as they could lose their guns, even historical ones. Slovakia has rejected several aspects of this new EU measure and has already asked for their removal from the directive. "The proposal isn't focused on addressing the essence of the problem, which is the black market in guns as the main source of firearms for committing a crime", says Slovakia's official statement that has been sent to European Parliament supplemented by a petition initiated by the Firearms Owners Association Legis Telum. "The decision-making process is in the hands of EU-member states within the Council of the EU and of MEPs. They will undoubtedly also consider comments from the public", said Andrej Králik, spokesperson of the European Commission Representation in Slovakia.