Guns for sale: the Belgian illicit gun market in a European perspective

Publication date: 21/03/2016

The attention paid to the problem of the possession of illicit firearms and the illegal trafficking of firearms has increased significantly over the past few years, at both a Belgian and a European level. In Belgium, this increase in political focus was triggered by a series of serious violent incidents, including attacks on the police with assault rifles in the streets of Brussels in 20101, the mass shooting carried out at the Christmas market in Liège by Nordine Amrani in 20112, the terrorist attacks on the Jewish Museum in Brussels in 20143 and the recent terrorist attacks in Paris4. Combating the illicit gun market has consequently become a matter of pressing national and international security. Concerns about the illicit possession of firearms and illicit firearms trafficking have led to the development of a series of legislative and policy initiatives in Belgium and the European Union (EU).

Location: Brussels

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