Buying a gun in Italy

Contents

1
2 Who can buy a gun?
3 Authorization of the Quaestor for the purchase of a gun, how to request it
4
5 Where to buy and how much does a gun cost
6 How many guns can you keep at home?
7
8
9 The caliber 9×21, a caliber for Italy
10 Conclusions

To buy a gun in Italy there are costs and procedures to follow carefully.

To buy a gun legally there are several obligations to be respected very carefully and rigorously if you do not want to run the risk of having the gun license revoked.

The cost of the weapon depends on the model you want to buy but indicatively it ranges from € 200 to € 2,000 and there is a market for new weapons and used weapons.

There are several magazines in the sector where you can view different types of weapons reviewed such as:

Arms manufacturers expect growth in purchases of guns and firearms in Italy given the approval of the new law on self-defense in 2019.

With this provision it is established that the legitimate defense is always presumed (that is, there is always the relationship of proportionality between defense and offense), while the one who acts for repel the intrusion into one’s home with violence or threat by an attacker.

The new law, therefore, allows the use of a gun to defend against intrusions and home attacks and that is why in these hours many are wondering if it is not the case to legally buy a firearm for self-defense.

Here you will find the information you need if you are thinking of buying a weapon, from the costs of a gun to the documents necessary for the purchase and legal possession of firearms.

Who can buy a gun?

Italian legislation allows any citizen to purchase a weapon as long as it is:

uncensored;
not suffering from psychiatric diseases;
non-alcoholic;
non-addicted.

Those who meet these requirements, however, cannot freely buy a gun if they are not in possession of:

license to carry a pistol and carry a rifle;
nothing stands in the way of the purchase.

So for the purchase of a gun it is not mandatory to have the carrying of weapons, since it is possible to buy a firearm even with the sole authorization of the Quaestor.

For the guide on how to take the gun license(click here for the form),while for more information on the authorization to purchase continue reading.

Authorization of the Quaestor for the purchase of a gun, how to request it

While holders of a gun license and gun license do not need the authorization of the Quaestor for the purchase of a weapon, this is necessary for all other Italian citizens.

To request the authorization you must fill in the document that you find below and present it to the Police Headquarters through one of the following methods:

by hand at the competent office which will issue you with a regular receipt;
registered mail with acknowledgment of receipt;
electronically.

Request clearance for the purchase of weapons form to download the application form to be submitted to the Police Headquarters to request authorization to purchase a gun.

The following documentsmust be attached to the form:

certificate of psycho-physical fitness issued by the ASL of residence;
documentation concerning the service provided in the Armed Forces or in the Police Forces, or the certificate of suitability for the handling of weapons issued, for a maximum of 10 years, by a National Shooting Section;
substitutive declaration by which the applicant certifies that he is not in the obstacle conditions established by law and that he has not been recognized as a “conscientious objector“. In addition, the substitutive declaration must indicate the personal details of the cohabiting persons.

Once the request has been submitted, the Quaestor will evaluate it and decide whether or not to grant permission to purchase a gun.

If this is granted then the applicant can go to one of the authorized shops to buy the weapon of the type indicated in the application (long, short, ancient or white weapon).

Where to buy and how much does a gun cost

For the legal purchase of a firearm you must go to one of the many authorized shops in Italy.

For example, on the official Beretta website there is a map in which all the official and authorized dealers for sale located in the Regions of Italy are indicated.

At this point the question that many people ask is: but how much does a gun cost?

Prices naturally vary from the type and model of the weapon, for a gun the price ranges from € 200 of a classic Beretta model 70, up to € 2,000.

So there are guns of various price ranges:

the Beretta model APX RDO costs about 882€,
the Beretta 92X PERFORMANCE 1499€ ,
the model 37 of Smith & Wesson 450 € ,
the Glock 17 Jan.5 about 660 € .

However, it is not possible to buy many models of guns, since the law establishes very precise limits regarding the maximum limit of firearms that can be held.

How many guns can you keep at home?

Article 10 of Law No. 110 of 1975 states that, without the appropriate collection license, you can hold at most:

3 common firearms;
12 sporting weapons;
8 ancient, rare or historical weapons.
There is no limit for hunting weapons.

Given what is established by law, it is very important to be able to identify a weapon, distinguishing, for example, common guns from weapons for sports use.

Attention that the law in fact establishes that any error concerning the identification of the type of weapon falls on the holder who risks being subjected to criminal proceedings for the crime of illegal collection of weapons,even if these have been legally purchased with appropriate documentation.

This leads to the revocation of the gun license so it is important to know and follow the procedures and laws well when it comes to weapons because the laws are very strict.

The caliber 9×21, a caliber for Italy

The 9×21 is a caliber that exists, practically, only in Italy, indeed, I would also read the practically, only in Italy.

Someone might think that it is an indigenous Italian caliber maybe a little unsuccessful and that did not want anyone else. Error. The caliber is not Italian as the 9×21 is also known as 9x21IMI, or “Israel Military Industry”, the place where it was born.

It is also not true that it is “malnato” because it is an identical copy of the 9×19 called 9 Luger or even 9 Parabellum or, for friends, simply 9 Para. The 9 Luger, the name by which this caliber is best known, is the most widespread short weapon caliber in the world and also the one considered the best ever.

The list of armies that use this caliber would occupy three web pages and in the list there are countries such as Japan, Switzerland, England, Israel, Italy, Germany and even the USA which, in terms of weapons, I do not think are second to none.

Although this caliber descends from a German project of 1902, therefore dated, its diffusion has been and is very high and its performance still considered unsurpassed.

Why is it not used in Italy?

Simple, because, as always happens in Italy someone, decades ago, had the idea of prohibiting it as equal to the ammunition used by law enforcement.

It doesn’t make sense, but it is. The law has recently been amended and therefore overcome, in part, but in practice no one in Italy now owns a 9×19 weapon.

The 9×21 was born from the Company Jager of Loano which, however, mistakenly cataloged a product that never reached commercial maturity.

Later IMI decided to re-propose, for the Italian market, the 9×21 designing it again starting from the .30 Luger, the father of the 9 mm Luger.

It was introduced in Italy by the Fiocchi-Geco binomial and had considerable success.

This caliber is practically identical in energy geometry and ballistics to the Luger indeed, in some respects it is better as it is a little more powerful.

Perhaps it is one of the best cartridges in existence.

Today, practically 80% of the semi-automatic pistols sold in Italy are in this caliber with some brackets in 40S&W and in 10 mm that have not had, however, for now, much success.

The luck of the rechargers is that, the 9×21, is so similar to the 9 Luger that you can use the same charging equipment simply by adjusting the Dies differently.

This is why you will never find a price list, they are all made in the USA, of charging machines that talk about the 9×21.

Patience, just know it and order the 9 Luger is fine all the same.

For dust, the charging boards never speak, but never, of this caliber: even here patience, just use those of the Luger and everything runs smoothly.

If you then use Action Bullets balls (Italian in spite of the name) you will also find the charging boards for that lead.

Drawing of a 9 Luger cartridge (19.15) or a 9×21 cartridge (21)
Note that only the length and therefore the conicity (*)
change between the two calibers

(*) The dies for 9 Luger are made on purpose a little longer. The calibration error is about 4/100 of a millimeter between the short (9×19), correct, and the long (9×21) too narrow. If any expert can tell me the real differences I will write it on this page.

Conclusions

As you can see, the procedures and documents necessary to purchase a weapon are well defined and must be followed to the letter.

The cost of a weapon has a price that to some not in the sector could surprise because 700 euros for a Glock 17 or 800 € for a Beretta APX is not an excessive figure.