HC Deb 19 March 1999 vol 327 c873W
Mr. Cox

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on the resolution of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly on control of the acquisition and possession of firearms by individuals; and if he will make a statement. [77000]

Mr. Boateng

I have been asked to reply.

The European Convention on the Control of the Acquisition and Possession of Firearms by Individuals was agreed in 1978. It has been signed by the United Kingdom but not ratified.

The Convention has effectively been superseded for European Community (EC) member states by the adoption of an EC Directive on the Control of the Acquisition and Possession of Weapons. This was incorporated into domestic law by virtue of the Firearms Acts (Amendment) Regulations 1992. The Directive contains many similarities to the Convention in that it established procedures for the notification of movement of firearms between member states.

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