Gun politics in Italy

Gun laws in Italy incorporates the political and regulatory aspects of firearms usage in the country within the framework of the European Firearms Directive. Different types of gun licenses can be obtained from the national police authorities. According to a 2007 study by The Small Arms Survey Project, the per capita gun ownership rate in Italy is around 12% with an estimated 7 million registered firearms in circulation.

To legally purchase firearms in Italy, one must either obtain a "purchase authorization" (nulla osta all'acquisto), which allows the holder to purchase and own a firearm but not carry or use it, or be issued with a carry license first. A firearm purchase authorization is mostly used today to inherit a deceased close relative's firearms. To obtain either license applicants must be 18 or older, prove they can handle and use a firearm safely (usually by obtaining a certificate from a shooting range after attending a practical shooting course), declare to have a clean criminal record (verification will be made by the Police authorities) and must not be mentally ill or be a known abuser of, or addicted to, alcohol or illegal drugs. Other grounds for refusal of a carry license include being a conscientious objector or living with persons who may gain access to the firearms and abuse them (e.g. living with family members who are mentally ill, alcoholic or drug addicts).

Italian laws prescribed that any rifled-barreled firearm imported or manufactured in Italy after 1976 should have been identified by a progressive catalogue number, assigned by a commission composed of government officials and representatives from the Italian arms industries. The role of the commission was to decide if a rifled firearm should be classified either a war firearm (arma da guerra) or a common firearm (arma comune da sparo). The national firearms catalogue described the characteristics of the weapon (barrel and overall length, number of rounds in the magazine and other technical specifications) that cannot legally be altered without resubmitting the weapon to the commission. Common firearms with certain features (sights, type of action) can be classified as sporting firearms (armi sportive), which can be used for self defence as an extrema ratio (es. during a home invasion) but which can not be carried for said purpose.

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