From: minh@inst-sun1.jpl.nasa.gov (Minh Lang)
Newsgroups: rec.guns
Subject: Re: How civilian buy gun in Europe?
Date: 15 Oct 92 01:55:15 GMT
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory

In article <1992Oct14.155728.16581@walter.bellcore.com> Wind Chen,
bellcore!bae.bae.bellcore.com!wind@uunet.UU.NET writes:
#Hi rec.guns netter,
#
#I am trying to find out how civilian buy gun in European country 
#as well as the gun law.

The following is a message that I quoted from  Kees Huyser,
who lives in Netherlands:

========= begin quote =============

Guns are not too easy to get in the Netherlands. The process works as
follows:
1	Find a gun club. Since most of them are not in the phonebook, you
	basically have to find somebody who is already a member.
2	Pray that the gunclub hasn't got a membership stop. Most of them do.
3	Join the club and stay with them for a year.
4	After this year buy a gun, any gun will do, even an "evil"(tm)
	assault rifle or any calibre handgun. Full auto is a nono.
	The owner of the gun (private person of gunshop) will have to write
	an "Intention of Sale" and give this to you.
5	You take this "Intention" to your gun club and ask one of the
	board members to fill in a form WM3, certifying that you need
	your own gun in order to improve your scoring in official matches,
	and that you cannot improve anymore using the clubs guns.
6	Take the "Intention" and the WM3 to the police, with proof of
	identity, 2 passport photographs and HFl. 75,- (~$40,-).
7	After two weeks (minimum) to 2 months (maximum) the police will
	give you a licence for that particular gun, *if* they can't find
	a reason to deny it to you. Reasons are a.o. criminal record and/or
	mental problems backgrounds.
8	Take the licence to the seller, show it to him/her, pay the gun and
	take the gun back to the police within seven days of issuance of
	the license. Show the gun to the police, so they can check if the make
	and the serial number of the gun are the same as the one on the licence.
9	Take the gun home and only take it with you to the range, via the 
	shortest route, shoot it, and take it back home via the shortest route.
10	Wait another year before you purchase the next gun.
11	You are now allowed to buy up to 5 guns, provided that the gun club
	signs for every gun. If your club doesn't have a rifle range, you
	don't get a rifle.
12	Lots of other rules and regulations on how to keep the gun in your
	house (unloaded, locked away in a decent location, gun and ammo
	to be kept seperate etc.), how many times a year you have to shoot
	to keep your licence (in Amsterdam a minimum of 13 times a year) etc.

As you can see, even in the Peoples Republik of Kalifornia it's a bit
easier.
Most people here don't have problem with it, though. Crime is not very
high
here, and shootouts still make the frontpage of the national papers. The
Dutch
equivalent of the NRA, The Royal Dutch Shooters Association, hasn't got a
bad
name with the general public, and cooperates with the Justice Department
on
making gun laws. We just got a new one in last year, and the old one
hadn't
changed since 1905... The RDSA managed to persuade the Just.Dept. not to
make
it too hard on the shooters. Afterall, 99% of the legal gun owners here
use
their guns only for target shooting.

I hope this gives you some idea on how guns laws work in my part of the
world.

--kees

-- 
* Kees Huyser   	(System Adminstrator and resident Macintosh Guru )  *
* internet: keeshu@paramount.nikhefk.nikhef.nl		 AppleLink: HOL0397 *
* The National Institute for Nuclear Physics and High-Energy Physics,
CSG/K *
* P.O.Box 4395,  1009 AJ Amsterdam,  The Netherlands,   
phone:+31205922132 *

================ end quote ========================

 - Minh -

[MODERATOR:  Nice informational post... thanks much!]