Review of the suitability assessment in firearms license matters

The election manifesto makes the fight against access to firearms part of crime prevention and highlights concern about gun violence. Stricter suitability assessments preventing violent individuals from obtaining firearms permits follow directly from that commitment and from the plan's requirement that no one should have to suffer crime. The plan does not address licensing review as such, so the conclusion is derived from the weapons and safety principles.

• limited firearms accessdecisive»kamp mot tillgången till illegala skjutvapen« (2022 manifesto ↗)“fight against access to illegal firearms”
• prevent crime effectively»Ingen människa ska behöva utsättas för brott.« (party programme ↗)“No person should have to suffer crime.”
• safety from gun violence»Föräldrar ska inte behöva oroa sig över skjutvapenvåld och drömma mardrömmar om att deras barn ska drabbas.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Parents should not have to worry about gun violence and have nightmares about their children being harmed.”
• fewer weapons in circulation»Världen behöver gå mot fred, nedrustning« (party programme ↗)“The world needs to move toward peace, disarmament”

The plan wants to remove secrecy barriers between authorities so that the police can do their job and give the police more tools, which is exactly what sharpened weapons registration and information flows in weapons cases are about. It furthermore requires strong measures against weapons and that the state's monopoly on violence be maintained. Stricter suitability assessments therefore follow from the plan's weapons and police line.

• removed secrecy barriersdecisive»Polisen behöver också fler verktyg, som bättre möjligheter till avlyssning och husrannsakan. Sekretesshinder mellan myndigheter ska rivas så att polisen och andra yrkesgrupper kan göra sitt jobb.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The police also needs more tools, such as better opportunities for wiretapping and house searches. Secrecy barriers between authorities shall be removed so that the police and other professions can do their job.”
• strong measures against weapons»Vi vill ta krafttag mot införsel av vapen och narkotika, bland annat genom stärkt gränskontroll.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to take strong measures against the import of weapons and drugs, among other things through strengthened border control.”
• state's monopoly on violence»Statens våldsmonopol upprätthålls.« (party programme ↗)“The state's monopoly on violence is maintained.”
• police with the right tools»Poliskår med god förmåga som återspeglar hela befolkningen, med stark lokal närvaro,« (party programme ↗)“Police force with good capacity that reflects the entire population, with strong local presence,”

The plan requires law enforcement agencies that prevent crime before it happens and wants to strengthen information sharing between authorities. Stricter suitability assessments with better record checks to prevent violent persons from obtaining weapons is an application of that principle. The plan at the same time emphasizes that such methods must be weighed against personal integrity.

• prevent crime before it happensdecisive»Ett tryggt samhälle kräver närvarande brottsbekämpande myndigheter som verkar i hela landet, skyddar individens rättigheter och förebygger brott innan de sker.« (party programme ↗)“A safe society requires present law enforcement agencies that operate throughout the country, protect individuals' rights and prevent crime before it happens.”
• strengthened information sharing»Samarbetet och informationsdelningen mellan myndigheter för att stoppa penningtvätt, välfärdsbrott och organiserad ekonomisk brottslighet ska förstärkas.« (party programme ↗)“Cooperation and information sharing between authorities to stop money laundering, welfare fraud and organized economic crime shall be strengthened.”
• balance against integrity»Tvångsmedel och övervakningsmetoder behövs för att komma åt den samhällshotande brottsligheten. Dessa måste samtidigt vägas mot den personliga integriteten.« (party programme ↗)“Coercive measures and surveillance methods are needed to address crime that threatens society. These must at the same time be weighed against personal integrity.”

The party programme establishes that criminal policy shall both prevent and deter from crime, and the election manifesto wants to lead Sweden towards an end to men's violence against women where men who beat shall not escape. Catching warning signals before a violent person receives a firearms permit is a preventive measure in that spirit. However, the plan does not address firearms legislation as such, and requires that privacy intrusions be weighed against the purpose.

• preventive criminal policydecisive»Kriminalpolitiken ska därför både förebygga och avskräcka från brott, stödja brottsdrabbade och stimulera dem som har begått olagliga handlingar till en ny livssituation utan brottslighet.« (party programme ↗)“Criminal policy shall therefore both prevent and deter from crime, support crime victims and encourage those who have committed illegal acts to a new situation without crime.”
• stop men's violence against women»Vi ska leda Sverige mot ett slut på mäns våld mot kvinnor. Män som slår ska inte komma undan.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We shall lead Sweden towards an end to men's violence against women. Men who beat shall not escape.”
• increased security in daily life»Tryggheten ska förbättras i hela landet och fler brott som drabbar folk i deras vardag ska klaras upp.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Security shall be improved throughout the country and more crimes affecting people in their daily lives shall be solved.”
• proportionality with regard to privacy»Det måste finnas en proportionalitet mellan lagstiftningens inskränkning av medborgarnas integritet och lagarnas syfte.« (party programme ↗)“There must be proportionality between the legislation's restriction of citizens' privacy and the laws' purpose.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan requires that secrecy restrictions be removed so that information can be shared more smoothly between agencies and that agencies can effectively share information in crime prevention work. Stricter suitability assessments with better record-flagging and signals reaching the police is an application of this, in line with the plan's tough stance against illegal weapons. The plan's privacy requirements simultaneously set the framework for how the controls can be designed.

• removed secrecy restrictionsdecisive»Samarbetet mellan polis och socialtjänst behöver utvecklas, sekretesshinder undanröjas så att information smidigare kan delas mellan myndigheter« (party programme ↗)“Cooperation between police and social services needs to be developed, secrecy restrictions removed so that information can be shared more smoothly between agencies”
• effective information sharing»Det förutsätter att myndigheter effektivt kan dela information med varandra.« (party programme ↗)“This requires that agencies can effectively share information with each other.”
• tough stance on weapons crimes»skärpa straffen för bland annat vapenbrott, våldtäkt och utpressning« (2022 manifesto ↗)“increase sentences for, among other things, weapons crimes, rape, and extortion”
• proportionality in controls»Åtgärder som påverkar den personliga integriteten negativt är endast berättigade om ett motstående intresse väger uppenbart tyngre och åtgärden är effektiv.« (party programme ↗)“Measures that negatively impact personal privacy are only justified if a competing interest outweighs them clearly and the measure is effective.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The election manifesto demands a comprehensive review of secrecy regulations so that authorities can share information with each other to prevent and clarify crimes — exactly what the counter-proposal wants to achieve when warning signals shall reach the police in weapons licensing matters. The plan gives the police an explicit crime prevention mandate and takes a hard line on weapons crimes. Stricter suitability assessments are therefore in line with the plan.

• authorities shall share informationdecisive»Total översyn av sekretessreglerna, så att myndigheter kan dela uppgifter mellan sig för att förebygga och klara upp brott.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Comprehensive review of secrecy regulations so that authorities can share information with each other to prevent and clarify crimes.”
• the police's crime prevention mandate»Polisens uppgift är att förebygga brott, upprätthålla ordning samt att utreda« (party programme ↗)“The police's task is to prevent crimes, maintain order and investigate”
• hard line on weapons crimes»Skärp straffet för vapenbrott till lägst fem års fängelse.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Increase the penalty for weapons crimes to at least five years' imprisonment.”
• preventive measures most important»Det viktigaste sättet att bekämpa brottslighet är genom förebyggande insatser och det är« (party programme ↗)“The most important way to combat crime is through preventive measures and it is”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan wishes to shorten processing times for weapon licenses and establishes that weapon regulations must not be designed in such a way that hunters, sport shooters and weapons collectors are negatively affected. Tightened suitability assessments with expanded background checks instead place a heavier burden on legal weapon owners. The plan's measures against weapons in criminal environments consist instead of stricter penalties for weapons crimes and a stronger customs service.

• simpler weapon licensesdecisive»Arbeta för kortade handläggningstider för vapenlicenser« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Work to shorten processing times for weapon licenses”
• no restrictions for hunters»Det är viktigt att EU:s vapendirektiv inte genomförs i svensk lagstiftning så att du som är jägare, sportskytt eller vapensamlare drabbas negativt.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“It is important that the EU's weapon directive is not implemented in Swedish legislation in such a way that you as a hunter, sport shooter or weapons collector are negatively affected.”
• stricter weapons crime penalties»Skärpa minimistraffen för grova vapenbrott från dagens 2 års fängelse till 6 års fängelse« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Increase minimum sentences for serious weapons crimes from today's 2 years imprisonment to 6 years imprisonment”
• stop weapons smuggling»Stärka tullen med mer resurser och kraftfulla befogenheter för att stoppa stöldligor och vapensmugglare« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strengthen customs with more resources and powerful authority to stop theft gangs and weapons smugglers”

The plan requires that the witch hunt against hunters and lawful gun owners be stopped and criticizes that political measures that should have been directed at illegal weapons have instead been directed at lawful gun ownership. The counter-proposal's demand for stricter suitability assessments with expanded record checks and reporting from organizations places new obstacles on legal license applicants. The plan also considers today's license management to be unreasonably burdensome.

• direct measures at illegal weaponsdecisive»Samtidigt har politiska åtgärder som borde riktats mot illegala vapen och gängbrottslighet istället riktats mot legalt vapeninnehav, svenska jägare och sportskyttar.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Meanwhile, political measures that should have been directed at illegal weapons and gang crime have instead been directed at lawful gun ownership, Swedish hunters and sport shooters.”
• protection for lawful gun ownership»Stoppa hetsjakten på jägare och legala vapeninnehavare« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Stop the witch hunt against hunters and lawful gun owners”
• faster license processing»De långa handläggningstiderna kring vapenlicenshantering är orimliga.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The long processing times regarding gun license management are unreasonable.”
• protected hunting rights»Möjligheten att äga jaktvapen och att ägna sig åt jakt ska värnas.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The opportunity to own hunting weapons and to engage in hunting should be protected.”