The minister of Internal Affairs announced on Tuesday the “additional control of the use of arms” so that Portugal continues to be a safe country, considering its limitation is an “essential contribution” in the revision of the law that is currently under way.

“More weapons are no longer security, we need additional control of the use of weapons because we want to continue to be a safe country in this matter,” said Eduardo Cabrita at the signing ceremony of a protocol on weapons and explosives, signed between the Security Police and the Spanish Civil Guard.

“The weapons law that is currently under review by the Assembly of the Republic is an essential contribution that we hope will be approved by the end of this legislative session,” said Eduardo Cabrita.

The minister stressed that the revision of the current law establishes mechanisms of effectiveness in the control of the use of weapons and explosives, in the demands of their destruction and, above all, in limiting the weapons that are available to citizens.

The Government’s draft law transposes a directive of the European Union and contributes to the adoption of prevention and control mechanisms in order to ensure that firearms holders meet the physical and psychological conditions for “use and possession”, in addition to limit the number of weapons that each person can have at home.

“The comparative experiences in several continents clearly demonstrates that the European solution, the Portuguese view of this subject is correct and has contributed to the very positive result in matters of violent and serious crime,” he said.

The revision of the weapons law, which is currently being discussed in the Assembly of the Republic after having been approved last September in the Council of Ministers, deserved the challenge of the National Confederation of Portuguese Hunters and gunsmiths for the restrictions imposed.

At the ceremony, the Minister of Home Affairs highlighted the work done by PSP in the area of ​​weapons and explosives, reporting that it went from 21,000 weapons destroyed in 2015 to 36,500 in 2018. There was a 36% increase in seizures of arms in 2018 and a 28% increase in the seizure of explosives.

“This is a matter that contributed decisively to the many positive results” of violent and serious crime, which fell 8.6% last year compared to 2017, said Eduardo Cabrita.