Firearms in Italy

Carrying of weapons: how it is obtained in Italy and the various types of gun carrying and how to obtain their release, the complaint of possession and transfer of weapons and the renewal of the weapons license.

• You want to take the gun port. What is the procedure?
• You like weapons and would like to collect them. Need a license?
• How many weapons can you keep at home and how much ammunition?

In Italy to possess a firearm, it is necessary to obtain the release of the firearms license.

In this regard, it is good to remember that the rules for taking the carrying of weapons have recently been modified with the entry into force of the D.lgs. 104/2018, in force since 18 September.

We will talk about the innovations introduced, as well as the procedures to be followed for the request for the release of the firearms license in this dedicated guide.

Even after the approval of the new law on self-defense of 2019, the rules for the possession of weapons do not change;

In Italy, anyone who wants to own a firearm must have a firearm, thespecial authorization granted by the state authorities responsible for the matter that allows a citizen to buy and hold firearms.

However, not all firearms are created equal, and the regulations are different for each type.

In fact, depending on the type of firearms license, the use of the weapon is regulated.

How to apply for the carrying of weapons?

In our country there are very strict rules that regulate the possession of firearms, even if it is a military of the Armed Forces or Police.

So, anyone who wants to buy or hold a particular firearm at home, must take up arms.

Below, we bring you the complete guide to take the gun license, where we will illustrate the different types of permit available in Italy and the procedures to follow to apply for the carrying of weapons.

How to take the gun license: the different types of permit

In Italy, the carrying of weapons can be requested for three different purposes:self-defense, sports use and hunting use.

Depending on the type of firearms that is required, there will be precise regulations to be respected.

For example,:

• Carrying weapons for self-defense:this permit is valid for one year and allows the carrying of weapons outside your home;

• Carrying weapons for sports use:allows you to use your weapon only to practice shooting or shooting in an exercise center.
  The weapon during the journey leading to the exercise center must be unloaded;

• Carrying of weapons for hunting; authorizes the carrying of only hunting rifles, which can only be used during the hunting season and in authorized areas.

In addition to carrying weapons, to deal with firearms you need to request some specific certificates:

• Report possession and assignment: certificate to be presented when you come into possession of weapons or cartridges or you give up;

• Authorization to purchase:certificate authorizing the purchase of firearms and ammunition, and their transport to the home;
• License for collection: allows the possession of short and long weapons, but not the carrying;
• European Charter:certificate that extends the validity of permits obtained in Italy in other countries of the European Union;
• Endorsement of the identification card:certificate valid for transport from the shooting sections to the place of detention (and vice versa).

After listing the various types of gun licenses and the certificates to be required to purchase or transport weapons, the time has come to analyze the procedures necessary to take the gun license.

How to take up arms: rules and procedures

The guide for the issuance of the firearms license: fulfillments, forms to be presented and certificates to be required for the possession of weapons at home.

This is a special authorisation granted by the competent authorities in this field, which allows the citizen to purchase and hold firearms.

Not all gun ports, however, are the same and there are different regulations for each type of weapon. In this article you will find a complete guide on the different types of permits provided by our legislator, on how to obtain the gun license, on how to renew it and much more.

The matter was recently innovated by a decree of 2018, which transposed a directive of theEuropean Union.

That decree introduced several innovations both with regard to the release of the firearms license for self-defense and for the simple possession of weapons at home.

More precisely, the procedure for buying and holding weapons has been simplified so much that in the aftermath of the entry into force of the decree, many have argued that doing so wanted to meet the pressure of the “arms manufacturers”.

The different types of weapon carrying

The most common licenses for the issuance of the firearms license are related to the purpose for which the permit itself is requested.

Depending on the type of gun license required, there will be precise regulations to be respected.

Therefore, the carrying of weapons for self-defense,that for sports use and that for hunting use are distinguished.

Let’s examine them one at a time:

• the carrying of weapons for self-defense, which is valid for one year, allows you to take the weapon out of your home;
• the carrying of weapons for sports use,is a special license which allows you to hold and use common and sporting weapons to practice shooting or shooting in an exercise center. Although formally the carrying of weapons for sporting use is called “license to carry a rifle for shooting” in reality it refers to all types of short and long weapons legally holdable. The weapon must be unloaded on the way to the exercise centre. The renewal must be done every 5 years. The 2018 decree brought news regarding the category of sports shooters:in fact, this can be accessed not only by members of the federations recognized by CONI, but also those who are part of the national shooting sections and those who belong to the amateur associations affiliated with the CONI. They can also be accessed by those enrolled in shooting ranges and private shooting ranges;
• the carrying of weapons for hunting use,authorizes the carrying of hunting rifles only, to be used only during the hunting season and in authorized areas; also in this case the validity is 5 years.

There is also a particular firearms license which is the one for collectors,which does not have a deadline, does not need renewal and is formally called “detention license”.

This license can also be issued for ancient, artistic or rare weapons. Typically, those who take the license to hold weapons do so to increase a collection of weapons that will never leave their home.

There is therefore a substantial difference between the license of possession,which authorizes the subject to purchase and possession of weapons but not also to transport and carry weapons for self-defense, for sports use or for hunting use, which instead authorizes both the purchase and transport of weapons.

To treat firearms, in addition, you need to request some specific certificates:

• the report of possession and assignment,consisting of a certificate to be presented when you come into possession of weapons and cartridges or transfer them to third parties;
• thepurchase authorization,which is a certificate authorizing the purchase of firearms and ammunition and their transport to the home;
• the European Card,which is a certificate that extends the validity of permits obtained in Italy in the countries belonging to the European Union;
• the endorsement of the identification card,which consists of a valid certificate for transport from the shooting sections to the place of detention and vice versa.

Who issues the gun license and what are the requirements for the release

For the release of the weapon port for self-defense, the prefecture is competent while in other cases the police headquarters is competent.

To obtain the release of the gun license you must be adults and present physical and psychological requirements,strictly indicated by the Ministry of Health and different depending on whether this is required for sports, hunting or for self-defence (in the latter case, the reasons justifying the application must be specified in detail).

Therefore, it is necessary to obtain the certificate for psycho-physical fitness by which it is demonstrated that you do not have particular physical problems that can prevent you from using the weapon correctly and being psychologically stable.

The certificate for psycho-physical fitness

For the carrying of weapons, the certificate of psycho-physical fitness may be issued:

• from the medico-legal offices;
• from the health districts of local health companies or military health facilities or the State Police;
• by individual doctors of the State Police, firefighters or military doctors as long as they are on permanent duty and in service activities.

The doctors of the State Police as well as the military ones, therefore, can operate as individual professionals outside the structure of competence as long as they are on active duty or in service activities.

The applicant,submitting to the investigations, is also required to present a certificate issued by the trusted doctor, dated not earlier than three months.

The ascertaining doctor, if he deems it necessary, may request further specialist investigations, to be carried out at public health facilities.

Medical certificate for carrying weapons: where to do it

How and where to obtain health authorization to own a weapon for personal or sporting use, hunting or collectible.

For sports use, for hunting, for self-defense.

There is no shortage of reasons to own a weapon, always hoping that it will be used well.

But, as we know, whether it is to keep thieves away or to spend time shooting at the plate, it is necessary to have a firearms license, as long as you have the requirements, among them – perhaps the most important – the medical certificate of suitability.

The one that attests, above all, to the absence of physical or mental problems.

Yes, you are right: it is a rule that does not apply to everyone. Just think of how many heads of state have neither the carrying of weapons nor, much less, the psychophysical fitness to obtain it.

Yet they have at their disposal weapons far more dangerous than a banal shooting rifle.

It is up to us mere mortals, rightly, to put ourselves in order.

Since we do not have to fight a war against Asian dictators or aspiring statesmen from overseas, we must comply with the regulations in our own small way.

One of these provides for the mandatory issuance of the medical certificate for carrying weapons.

• But where to do it?
• Who should be asked for?
• And is there a different certificate depending on the use you make of the weapons you own?

See.

What types of firearms are there?

A firearms license changes according to use.

We list below the most common.

All, however, require a medical certificate.

Carrying of weapons for self-defense

Allows you to take the weapon out of your home. The carrying of weapons for self-defense has one year of validity.

To obtain it – in addition to the medical certificate – it is necessary to be of age and have a valid reason (think of the jewelry representative, the vigilantes, a person concretely under threat, etc.).

The permit is issued by the prefect. The form is available on the online websites of the State Police or available in paper format at the offices of the police.

To obtain the carrying of a weapon for self-defense it is necessary to be of age and have a valid and motivated reason that justifies the need to go armed. The authorization, issued by the Prefect, allows the carrying of the weapon outside your home and is valid for one year.

The form (pdf 650 KB) for the submission of the request, also available at the Police Headquarters, the Commissariat of Public Security or the Carabinieri station, can be delivered to the aforementioned offices in different ways:

• directly by hand: the office issues a regular receipt;
• by registered mail with acknowledgment of receipt;
• electronically, in a manner that ensures delivery.

Carrying weapons for sports use

And here we are at the shooting rifle (and the like).

The firearms license for sports use is issued at the Police Headquarters to carry out shooting or shooting.

In the latter case, it is necessary to be registered in a special section or in an association affiliated to CONI.

It is valid for 6 years.

License for weapons collection

Collectors also need a gun license.

Or rather: of a license.

Is there a difference? There is and it is substantial.

The permit allows you to keep the weapons (short or long) but not to use them.

Therefore, it is not a real port of hooks but an authorization to hang them on the wall (strictly kept under lock and key) in a number not exceeding 3 for common guns (pistols, rifles, etc.) and not exceeding 6 for those for sports use (an air rifle, for example).

The license also allows you to hold up to 8 ancient weapons (i.e. front-loading or manufactured before 1890), artistic or of rare historical importance (Garibaldi’s rifle never happened, so to speak).

This license applies forever, that is, it must not be renewed.

Hunting weapons

As it is easy to guess, this firearms license allows the use of a rifle to hunt during the allowed periods.

Validity is 6 years.

So a summary of the duration of the firearms license varies according to the type:

• carrying of weapons for self-defence:annual validity;
• carrying of weapons for sporting use:valid for five years;
• carrying of weapons for hunting use:six years.

We also remind you that the compilation of the“Complaint of detention and assignment”is mandatory even when the weapon is received as an inheritance.

The medical certificate for carrying weapons: how and where to do it?

Everyone, therefore, must ask for a medical certificate for carrying weapons.

The Ministry of Health has dictated very precise rules on the physical and mental requirements to own a weapon: it is necessary, in addition to the ability to know how to use the weapon (sometimes the Devil charges them, the ancestors said) a thorough medical examination.

The certificate must certify that the applicant does not suffer from a mental illness or from some problem that can decrease, even for a short period of time, the ability to understand and want.

Certificate of carriage of arms: where to do it?

The medical certificate for carrying weapons is issued:

• from the medico-legal offices or from the health districts of the ASL;
• from military health facilities;
• of the State Police.

Certificate of carriage of arms: how to do it?

At the base of a request for carrying weapons there must be, in the first place, an anamnestic certificate issued by the general practitioner.

It is a document in which it is attested that the applicant does not use drugs, does not raise his elbow too much (that is, does not abuse alcohol) and is not suffering from some pathology that could jeopardize the safety of others.

The family doctor, however, has the right to request further in-depth visits.

With this certificate, those who want to obtain the carrying of weapons present themselves (no later than three months from the date of issue) in one of the aforementioned structures bringing with them:

• an identity document;
• if he wears glasses, the degree of refraction of the lenses;
• the receipt of the payment of 35 euros made at the Administrative Office of the health district (in some ASL 32 euros are requested);
• a 16 euro stamp duty;
• the health card;
• if you wear a hearing aid, the certification on its efficiency issued no more than three months ago.

Medical certificate for carrying hunting weapons

Some special requirements are required to obtain the medical certificate for carrying hunting weapons.

In addition to not having a criminal record, the following are required:

• visual acuity of at least eight tenths in the eye that sees better (even with glasses or contact lenses);
• a chromatic sense that guarantees the perception of fundamental colors;
• an auditory threshold equal to or less than 30 decibels for the ear that hears better or, alternatively, be able to perceive voices at a certain distance, possibly with the help of hearing aids;
• absence of disabling neurological alterations from a motor point of view;
• adequate functionality of the spine and upper limbs.

The submission of the application for the issuance of the firearms license

The carrying of weapons for self-defense must be requested by filling out a form available at the Carabinieri station, the police station of public security or the Police Headquarters: it can be delivered directly by hand (in this case a receipt is issued), or forwarded electronically or by registered mail.

The documentation to be attached to the application shall include:

• a photocopy of a valid identity document;
• n. 2 photographs in passport photoformat;
• n. 2 electronic markings of € 16.00 to be applied on the request and on the license;
• certification proving psycho-physical fitness in a € 16.00 stamp;
• a substitute declaration in which the interested party certifies: that he is not in the obstructive conditions provided for by law; the personal details of the cohabiting persons; not to have been recognized as a “conscientious objector” or to have submitted an application for revocation of the status of objector to the National Office for Civil Service;
• receipts of the payment of government concession fees,made according to use (sports, hunting, self-defense).

Following the submission of the request,the person concerned must demonstrate that he knows how to use the weapon.

Therefore, those who have served in the army or police can bring a certificate proving it while those who have attended one of the national shooting sections must apply for a certification of suitability for handling weapons.

The time for the release of the gun license is about thirty days but varies greatly from city to city.

The carrying of weapons for the armed forces and police

Members of the armed forces and police can walk around armed with the service gun (Beretta Parabellum) even when they are not on duty without the need to have a gun license.

Indeed, in recent months, given the terrorism alarm in Italy, all officers of the Armed Forces and Police have been advised to carry the service weapon even when they are not on duty.

However, Police and Armed Forces officers can only carry the service pistol, the Beretta Parabellum. For the possession at home of other types of weapons also for them there is the obligation to carry weapons.

If they want to hold other types of weapons, then theobligation to carry weaponsis also triggered for them.

However, the procedure provided for is different from that for civilians.

In fact, personnel on active duty can demonstrate their psycho-physical fitness necessary to obtain the carrying of weapons,presenting thecertificate of service issued by the competent administration.

With this modification it has been established that personnel on active duty can demonstrate their psycho-physical fitness, necessary to take up arms, simply by presenting the certificate of service presented by the competent Administration.

In addition, members of the Armed Forces and Police are not required to pay for medical certification.

Collecting weapons: the license to take

Those who collect weapons, on the other hand, must have a collection license.

There are several types:

• common firearms: this allows the possession, but not the carrying, of short and long weapons in a higher number than normally allowed (3 common guns and 12 classified as sports);

• ancient, artistic or rare weapons: that is, the one that concerns the ancient front-loading weapons or those manufactured before 1890. With this license it is possible to hold a maximum number of 8 weapons, without any type of ammunition.

To request the license you must present the form below to the Police Headquarters, the Commissariat of Public Security or the Carabinieri station.

The form can be submitted either by hand, or by registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt. To the form, you will also have to attach:

• two electronic markings of € 16.00 to be applied on the request and on the license;
• the certification proving the psycho-physical suitability, issued by the A.S.L. of residence or by the medico-legal offices and by the military health facilities and the State Police;
• a substitute declaration in which the person concerned certifies:
• not to be in the obstructive conditions provided for by law;
• the personal details of the cohabiting persons;
• that he has not been recognized as a “conscientious objector”.

Instead of substitute declarations, documentation issued by the competent bodies may be submitted.

The renewal of the firearms license

In the case of carrying weapons for sports use or for hunting use, the renewal must be carried out every 5 years while for that for self-defense it must be carried out every year.

The application for renewal must be submitted before the deadline, attaching all the documents required for issue, except for the declaration stating that they have not been recognized as conscientious objectors and the certification for the handling of weapons.

The complaint of possession and transfer of weapons

To deal with weapons, it is not only necessary to carry weapons, but also other specific certificates.

As we have seen before, to deal with firearms you need not only the carrying of weapons, but also other specific certificates.

One of these is the complaint of detention and assignment that must be filed when:

• you come into possession of weapons and cartridges for personal purchase or inheritance;
• weapons and cartridges are sold to third parties;
• if the place of possession of weapons and cartridges varies;
• you inherit a weapon.

In the case of weapons, the complaint must be submitted to the Police Headquarters or the Commissariat of the area or to the Carabinieri station competent for the territory.

Among the innovations introduced by the 2018 decree there is the one for which the complaint for the possession of a weapon can also be submitted online, through a simple email sent by a certified portal, to the carabinieri or to the police headquarters.

How many weapons can be held?

The 2018 decree also changed the limits for the possession of weapons at home. In detail, the limit of common guns is 3, the sports ones that can be held at home have gone from 6 to 12,while those the number of hunting rifles is unlimited.

The shots allowed in magazines for sporting weapons have become from 15 to 20 for short weapons and from 5 to 10 for long ones.

In the event that you wish to hold an unlimited number of weapons, the request must be made to the quaestor for the issuance of the collector’s license.

Remember that weapons held cannot be transported to other places, except in cases where you have permission.

The denunciation of ammunition

The reporting of ammunition is mandatory in cases of:

• cartridges for pistol or revolver (for a maximum holding of 200 pieces);
• ammunition for shotgun shotgun;
• in the event that you have pellet cartridges,the complaint is triggered to exceed 1000 pieces. The maximum holding limit is 1500 cartridges.

Conclusions

So as you have read the first thing to do to take the gun license is to go to the ASL of your Municipality of Residence and request a certificate that certifies your psycho-physical fitness for the use of firearms.

So, you will have to prove that you do not have any particular physical problems that would prevent you from using the weapon correctly and being psychologically stable.

Next, you will be required to prove that you know how to use the weapon.

Those who have served in the army or in the police can bring a certificate that proves it, while those who have attended one of the sections of the National Target Shooting will have to request a certification of suitability for the handling of weapons.

At this point, just follow these simple procedures to be able to request and take the gun license:

• fill out a substitute declaration in which you attest that you are “not in the conditions hindering the Law“. Then you must indicate the personal details of the people who live with you and declare that you are not conscientious objectors. Regarding conscientious objectors, a change was made in 2007. Before that year, anyone who claimed to be a conscientious objector could not obtain a gun license. Since 2007, however, by filling out a specific form you can cancel the “status of objector” and consequently it is possible to request the carrying of weapons;

• on the request and on the authorization you will have to attach two electronic markings of € 14.62 each;
• after submitting these documents you can buy weapons and ammunition, but still not allowed to carry. To obtain it, it is necessary to apply for authorization to the Police Headquarters, filling out the specific form (Report of detention and transfer) for the type of weapon purchased.

After filling out the required forms, you have to wait about 30 days before the Police Headquarters grants you the gun license.

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