Implementation of amendments to the Weapons Directive

The plan requires an active struggle against access to illegal firearms and that resources for police and customs increase to address the flows driving the criminal economy. To relax the possession regulation for weapon magazines to mere user regulation reduces control over weapon parts in circulation and therefore contradicts the plan. The plan says nothing about how recently the regulations came into force.

• combat access to illegal firearmsdecisive»Kriminaliteten behöver mötas både med ett fungerande och närvarande rättssystem som fler patrullerande poliser, arbete mot narkotikahandel, kamp mot tillgången till illegala skjutvapen och ett effektivt avhopparprogram« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Criminality needs to be met both with a functioning and present legal system such as more patrolling police, work against drug trafficking, struggle against access to illegal firearms and an effective exit programme”
• strengthened control of illegal flows»Tullens och polisens resurser måste öka för att komma åt de pengar som driver narkotikahandeln.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Customs and police resources must increase to address the money driving drug trafficking.”

The plan's line on the weapons area is tightening: punishment for serious weapons crimes shall be doubled and action shall be taken against weapons imports, with intensified international cooperation against weapons smuggling. Easing regulation of ammunition magazines from possession to use goes in the opposite direction to this commitment. The plan's rule-of-law principles speak for clear rules but not for reduced control of weapons parts.

• tightened weapons crime penaltiesdecisive»Vi vill fördubbla straffet för grova vapenbrott.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to double the punishment for serious weapons crimes.”
• action against weapons imports»Vi vill ta krafttag mot införsel av vapen och narkotika, bland annat genom stärkt gränskontroll.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to take action against weapons and narcotics imports, including through strengthened border control.”
• cooperation against weapons smuggling»Vi vill se fler och intensifierande internationella samarbeten mot smuggling av bland annat vapen och narkotika.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to see more and intensifying international cooperation against smuggling of, among other things, weapons and narcotics.”
• fight against illegal weapons trade»Det gör också kampen mot den illegala vapenhandeln.« (party programme ↗)“It also makes the fight against illegal weapons trade.”

The plan does not address weapon magazines or licensing. The closest principle is that law enforcement agencies shall be given the tools needed to combat crime and that serious organized crime is a threat to democracy and people's freedom. Loosening possession rules to pure user rules therefore does not lie in the plan's direction, even though the plan's fairness principle speaks for the counter-proposal.

• tools against crimedecisive»rättsvårdande myndigheterna ska ges de verktyg« (party programme ↗)“law enforcement agencies shall be given the tools”
• organized crime as threat»grova organiserade brottsligheten utgör ett hot mot« (party programme ↗)“serious organized crime poses a threat to”
• combat organized crime»se fler och bättre betalda poliser för att bekämpa den organiserade brottsligheten och för att motverka parallellsamhällen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“see more and better-paid police to combat organized crime and prevent parallel societies.”

The election manifesto wants to clear out unnecessary rules and particularly points out that costly and complicated regulations lie like a wet blanket over parts of the countryside, where hunting and wildlife management belong. The party programme requires proportionality between legislation's restriction and its purpose, which speaks against a possession regulation that can make unwitting lawful weapon owners into criminals. A transition to user regulation is therefore supported by the plan.

• complicated rules burden the countrysidedecisive»Dyra, krångliga och innovationshämmande regelverk ligger som en våt filt över delar av landsbygden.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Costly, complicated and innovation-hindering regulations lie like a wet blanket over parts of the countryside.”
• proportionality in regulation»Det måste finnas en proportionalitet mellan lagstiftningens inskränkning av medborgarnas integritet och lagarnas syfte.« (party programme ↗)“There must be proportionality between the restriction of citizens' integrity by legislation and the law's purpose.”
• fewer rules»Vi ska rensa upp bland överflödiga regler och byråkrati.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We will clear out unnecessary rules and bureaucracy.”
• active wildlife management»ska kombineras med en aktiv förvaltning av rovdjur och klövvilt« (party programme ↗)“must be combined with active management of predators and hoofed game”

The plan does not address licensing for weapon magazines. The nearest position is a strict weapons policy: penalties for weapons crimes shall be tightened and police given more tools against the thousands of gang criminals that characterize the situation. A transition from possession to user regulation reduces control and does not follow from these commitments, even though the plan's requirement for legal certainty points in the opposite direction. The conclusion is uncertain.

• tightened penalties for weapons crimedecisive»skärpa straffen för bland annat vapenbrott, våldtäkt och utpressning« (2022 manifesto ↗)“tighten penalties for among others weapons crime, rape and extortion”
• more tools for police»Ge polisen fler verktyg och vapen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Give police more tools and weapons.”
• strengthened legal certainty»Rättssäkerheten och skyddet för de medborgerliga fri- och rättigheterna behöver förstärkas.« (party programme ↗)“Legal certainty and protection of civil freedoms and rights needs to be strengthened.”

The plan requires that responses to crime are anchored in a human and clear legislation and regards hunting and wildlife management as a clear example of applied stewardship. An ownership regulation that risks making unaware legal weapon owners into criminals contradicts the requirement for clarity. The election manifesto's tough line against weapon crime applies to illegal weapons and does not support the magazine ownership regulation.

• clear and foreseeable legislationdecisive»förankrade i en human och tydlig lagstiftning« (party programme ↗)“anchored in a human and clear legislation”
• hunting as applied stewardship»dessutom ett tydligt exempel på tillämpat förvaltarskap« (party programme ↗)“moreover a clear example of applied stewardship”
• tough line against weapon crime»Skärp straffet för vapenbrott till lägst fem års fängelse.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Tighten the penalty for weapon crime to at least five years imprisonment.”

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 explicitly states that the EU weapons directive should not be implemented in Swedish legislation in a way that adversely affects hunters, sport shooters and weapons collectors, and that EU rules as a main rule should be implemented at minimum level. A transition from possession to use regulation of weapon magazines, in line with what EU law requires, is precisely what the counter-proposal asks for. The plan also wants to simplify weapons handling for legal weapons owners.

• the weapons directive shall not harm huntersdecisive»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 weapons directive is not implemented in Swedish legislation so that you who are a hunter, sport shooter or weapons collector are negatively affected.”
• EU directives at minimum level»Minska regelkrånglet och onödig byråkrati, bland annat genom att motverka överimplementering i Sverige av EU-beslut – som huvudregel ska EU-direktiv genomföras på miniminivå« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Reduce red tape and unnecessary bureaucracy, among other things by countering over-implementation in Sweden of EU decisions - as a main rule EU directives should be implemented at minimum level”
• simpler weapons handling»Arbeta för kortade handläggningstider för vapenlicenser« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Work for shortened processing times for weapons licenses”

flags: citat_migrerat

The stance rests on the quoted commitment in the party's own documents; the actual vote deviated. Click the quote to verify it in the document.

The plan explicitly identifies magazine regulation as a measure done to complicate legal weapon ownership and is very critical of the implementation of the EU's weapons directive. It establishes that measures that should have been directed against illegal weapons have instead been directed at hunters and sport shooters, and demands that the witch hunt against legal weapon owners stop. The counter-proposal's demand for a user regulation instead of possession regulation is therefore the plan's own line.

• criticism of magazine regulationdecisive»Magasinsreglering och förbud mot bly i ammunition är exempel på åtgärder som görs för att försvåra legalt vapenägande.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Magazine regulation and prohibition of lead in ammunition are examples of measures done to complicate legal weapon ownership.”
• criticism of weapons directive»Sverigedemokraterna är mycket kritiska till implementeringen av EU:s vapendirektiv.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden Democrats are very critical of the implementation of the EU's weapons directive.”
• protection for legal weapon owners»Stoppa hetsjakten på jägare och legala vapeninnehavare« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Stop the witch hunt against hunters and legal weapon owners”
• direct measures against illegal weapons»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 against illegal weapons and gang crime have instead been directed at legal weapon ownership, Swedish hunters and sport shooters.”