Strict rules must be met in order for someone to legally own a gun.
Hungary has the strictest laws on the acquisition and possession of weapons among the member states of the European Union, said independent judicial weapons expert Attila Nagy. The relevant 2004 law and government decree define a number of reasons that make it impossible to carry a weapon, for example, a person under guardianship that excludes the capacity to act or a person with a criminal record cannot obtain a permit.
The applicant's suitability is examined in several rounds:
in the case of acquiring the first weapon, it is first assessed by the general practitioner, to whom one must return every four years for the extension of the permit, but age is also of great importance, because over sixty years of age a review is required every two years, and over seventy years of age every year.
If the general practitioner has found the applicant suitable, he must then undergo a psychological examination by one of the specialist psychologists appointed for this purpose.
If the applicant is a hobby hunter, then it is enough to see a specialist psychologist once, but in the case of athletes and armed workers, such as security service employees, it is mandatory to take part in another such examination after six months.
In order to obtain a firearms license, a weapons proficiency exam is essential, and for those who want to become a hunter, the state hunting exam is essential,
for which a specified number of hours must be attended, and the hunting license must be exchanged annually at the relevant county hunting chamber. Anyone who wants to become a sports shooter must join a sports association or a shooting club, where a certificate is issued. After that, you have to choose which weapon you want to use for your sporting activity. - It is important that the weapons must be made incapable of firing a series of shots, or one must be ordered from the manufacturer that is already like this - emphasized the weapons expert.
Attila Nagy emphasized: if someone wants a self-defense weapon, the reason must be thoroughly justified. A license for such a weapon is usually granted in the event that an attack on the applicant's life or physical integrity can only be prevented with a firearm.
Attila Nagy also spoke about the fact that strict conditions were set for the storage of firearms.
The firearm must be made of material resistant to significant external forces, and must be stored in a cabinet with a safety lock, or attached to a wall, floor, or cabinet, away from unauthorized persons, where the gun owner regularly visits. A gun box for storing short firearms (such as pistols) must be fixed. Weapons must be kept unloaded and ammunition separated, which is regularly checked by the authority issuing the permit.
Firearm possession licenses must be renewed every five years.
Renewal of the possession permit must be initiated 30 days before the expiration date, failing which the weapon possession permit will be revoked. The 30-day deadline is important because the issuing authority will check with the gun owner to see if there are any reasons that the gun owner has not declared for disqualifying a license within five years.
Those who carry a weapon for work must obtain a certificate every quarter, and those who carry a weapon for self-defense by December 15th every year, which proves their participation in a shooting range or shooting practice, although it is not stipulated exactly what tasks they must perform there.
- Recently, this is usually carried out in practice in such a way that the gun holder has to demonstrate the removal of the firearm from the holster, since the weapon for self-defense can only be carried concealed. With this, the experts at the shooting range want to ensure that the authorized wearer has some practice and is able to handle the weapon properly. It is important to know how it works, the exact order of filling and emptying, and last but not least, its maintenance, so as not to harm yourself or the environment, Attila Nagy pointed out.
According to the expert, the number of illegally held firearms in Hungary today is incalculable.
At the same time, he noted that in the second half of the 1980s, so many weapons disappeared from the then Hungarian People's Army that a battalion could have been equipped with them, which meant around a thousand personnel.
We now know about 300-350,000 weapons legally stored by Hungarian citizens, which include sports, sport-hunting and self-defense weapons, as well as weapons kept for the purpose of work.
- People who legally carry weapons are usually so law-abiding that they even refrain from speeding, as certain violations can automatically lead to the confiscation of their weapons - Attila Nagy pointed out.
It is important that, like vehicles, weapons must also be taken for a technical examination,
the frequency of which has been relaxed in the case of hunting weapons, this is only necessary in case of a change of ownership. The technical examination of other weapons must be renewed every five years – including authorized gas and alarm weapons – which must be presented to the police authority that issued the permit. Strict rules also apply to defused weapons: they can only be transported in packaging, as they are classified as instruments of intimidation under EU regulations.
According to the expert, the illegal acquisition of weapons from the dark recesses of the Internet, i.e. the dark web, is not typical in Hungary.
This is due to the fact that the domestic prevention and monitoring system works well, and those who are found with illegally held weapons are severely punished: they can be sentenced to between two and eight years in prison.
This holds many back, which is compounded by harsh judicial sentences. "The full rigor of the law also applies to those who make weapons at home, as this activity is subject to an official permit," he explained.
Attila Nagy experienced that the abuse of the opportunity provided by a gun license is not typical in our country, because Hungarian gun owners are mostly prudent and have acquired adequate knowledge about weapons during the old compulsory military service. "There have already been examples of terminally ill gun owners turning the barrel of their guns against themselves, but taking another's life or intentionally injuring them has never been typical in this country," the forensic expert stated.
Cover image: There are very strict rules for keeping weapons in Hungary
Source: Magyar Nemzet/Gábor Markovics
