GUN LAWS -- THE NETHERLANDS ------------------------------------------------------------------------ From: Kees Huyser ------------------------------------------------------------------------ How to obtain a gun in The Netherlands: 1 Find a gun club. Since most of them are not in the phonebook, you basically have to find somebody who is already a member. 2 Pray that the gun club hasn't got a membership stop. Most of them do. 3 Join the club and stay with them for a year. 4 After this year buy a gun, any gun will do, even an "evil"(tm) assault rifle or any calibre handgun. Full auto is a nono. The owner of the gun (private person of gunshop) will have to write an "Intention of Sale" and give this to you. 5 You take this "Intention" to your gun club and ask one of the board members to fill in a form WM3, certifying that you need your own gun in order to improve your scoring in official matches, and that you cannot improve anymore using the clubs guns. 6 Take the "Intention" and the WM3 to the police, with proof of identity, 2 passport photographs and HFl. 25,- (~$15,-). 7 After two weeks (minimum) to 2 months (maximum) the police will give you a licence for that particular gun, *if* they can't find a reason to deny it to you. Reasons are a.o. criminal record and/or mental problems backgrounds. 8 Take the licence to the seller, show it to him/her, pay the gun and take the gun back to the police within seven days of issuance of the license. Show the gun to the police, so they can check if the make and the serial number of the gun are the same as the one on the licence. 9 Take the gun home and only take it with you to the range, via the shortest route, shoot it, and take it back home via the shortest route. 10 Wait another year before you purchase the next gun. 11 You are now allowed to buy up to 5 guns, provided that the gun club signs for every gun. If your club doesn't have a rifle range, you don't get a rifle. 12 Lots of other rules and regulations on how to keep the gun in your house (unloaded, locked away in a decent location, gun and ammo to be kept seperate etc.), how many times a year you have to shoot to keep your licence (in Amsterdam a minimum of 13 times a year) etc.