G/TBT/N/FIN/49  
 
14 October 2013  
(13-5588)  Page: 1/2  
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original: English  
 
 NOTIFICATION 
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6 
 
1. Notifying Member:  FINLAND  
If applicable, name of local government involved (Article 3.2 and 7.2):     
2. Agency responsible:  EC WTO-TBT Enquiry Point 
Name and address (including telephon e and fax numbers, email and website 
addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above :  Ministry of 
Interior, Police department, P.O. Box 26, FI-00023 GOVERNMENT, Finland. 
kirjaamo@intermin.fi , mika.lehtonen@intermin.fi , +358 71 878 0171, 
http://www.intermin.fi . 
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [X], 2.10.1 [   ], 5.6.2 [   ], 5.7.1 [   ], other:   
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff 
heading. ICS numbers may be provided  in addition, where applicable): CN 9301-
9306 
5. Title, number of pages and langua ge(s) of the notified document:  Draft on Act 
amending the Firearms Act; Articles 1, 2 a, 11.2, 18, 34, 37, 106.2 and 106.3; (8 pages, 
in Finnish).      
6. Description of content:  The draft includes new requirements for the storage of 
firearms. The requirements when firearms shall be stored in a standardized secure cabinet are proposed to be amended. If a specially dangerous firearm (i.e. an automatic 
firearm) or a total of more than five firearms are to be stored, they shall be stored in a 
secure, locked cabinet under the decree of the Ministry of the Interior. A secure cabinet is not, however, required if the police department for the area in which the storage facilities for firearms are located has approved the facilities. The decree of Ministry of 
Interior concerning the standards for the secure cabin (163/2002) will not be amended. 
The air guns that can be considered as effective as firearms are proposed to be included 
in the scope of the Firearms Act. An air gun shall be considered to be as effective as a 
firearm if it is able to fire metal bullets and the calibre of the air gun is larger than 
6.35mm. 
The content of gas sprays imported or transferred to Finland as well as gas sprays 
marketed in Finland may contain only such substances that cannot be predicted to cause 
permanent injury to the target person. The allowed substances and their maximum contents are further provided by government decree. 
These restrictions are based on public security requirements. G/TBT/N/FIN/49 
 
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  7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where 
applicable:  The aim of restrictions is to enhance public security by regulating the 
possession of most effective air guns which, when misused, may cause severe injuries or 
death. 
The safe storage of firearms will reduce theft and risk that a person lawfully staying in 
the storage facilities (i.e. house, apartment) would get the stored firearm in his/her 
possession. The safe storage will reduce the risk for public safety. 
Since the aim of the use of a gas spray is to paralyze the target person, it is necessary 
to protect the health of that person by providing that the gas spray may not contain 
substances that could cause a permanent injury to a person. 
8. Relevant documents:   The Firearms Act 1/1998.   
9. Proposed date of adoption:   
Proposed date of entry into force:    31 March 2014 1 June 2014 
10. Final date for comments:  - 
11. Text available from:  National enquiry point [X], or address, telephone and fax 
numbers, e-mail and web-site addresse s, if available of the other body: