66,000 firearms astray in Norway

shotgun Frøya weapon firearmsSingle barrel shotgun. Photo: Pixabay.com

More than 66,000 firearms astray in Norway

Figures from the police show that there are a total of 66,368 documented firearms unaccounted for in Norway. The Police Directorate is not satisfied with the large amount.

– These are weapons that the police in practical terms do not have control of. It is therefore important that the districts put resources in order to prevent people who are unfit, suddenly having access to firearms, Section Manager in the Police Directorate, Sissel Hammer, tells VG.

As of December 5th, 66,368 firearms were registered to deceased persons in Norway, and where these are located the police doesn’t have the foggiest idea where are. During the year, the police were given around 10,500 firearms in return, and the number of weapons astray is down from in excess of 76,000 last year.

Weapons seized by the police or delivered are dispatched to the Crime Unit (Kripos) for destruction. Police officer Morten Støen at the Kripos Headquarters at Bryn in Oslo informs the newspaper that a good part of the weapons that are delivered comes from the estates of deceased persons.

– Old saloon rifles (.22 inch) we receive a lot of. We also get some machine guns that were dropped by aircraft for use by the Norwegian resistance movement during WW II. Various hunting and military weapons are also typical examples of firearms that are turned in, Støen explains.

The Inland Police District is, with 14,553 weapons registered to a deceased person, the region that boasts the most firearms gone AWOL. They are closely followed by the police districts East and Southeast. With the exception of Svalbard, fewest weapons are at large in Troms.

Many of the missing firearms are deemed unserviceable or destroyed in private.

 

© NTB scanpix / #Norway Today