The Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to lift the ban on military semi-automatic weapons for hunting is now receiving criticism from the police, who fear that this could increase the risk of shootings.
– With the approval of the proposal, we will get more of this type of weapon out in society, which of course risks people being shot, says Isabel Thorén, head of the police’s national firearms center, to SVT.
The background is that the Environmental Protection Agency, through the new decision, allows hunters to use such types of weapons from August 1, the reason stated is that it should spare the animals’ suffering. At the same time, just such weapons have come to be used in several mass shootings abroad, including in the United States, and several other countries have chosen to completely ban these when hunting.
Minister of Justice Gunnar Strömmer (M) tells SVT that the issue must be analyzed further:
– This issue has ended up between different ministries and has not been within my area. We have to analyze the issue and see what consequences this has.