Who can have a gun in Hungary?

The regulation is very strict, and even though a lot of firearms disappeared after the change of the regime in 1990, Hungary is regarded as one of the least polluted countries regarding guns. Furthermore, the trend is that the authorities withdraw the arms licences of almost everybody, even of members of the police or the military.

Based on what experts say on the issue, it is very hard to get permission to hold a firearm in Hungary, Nepszava reported before. Those who would like to have one have to be adults with no criminal record, and they have to pass not only a theoretic and a practical exam but also a physical and mental examination. Furthermore, nobody can buy assault weapons, suppressors, or fragmenting explosives and firearms able to kill masses.

Interestingly, Hungarian authorities have the tendency to withdraw arms licences issued because of self-defence. Today, they reject even the relevant applications of the members of the armed forces who would like to bring their firearms home. That happens even if they work on drug cases or if they are officers of the Counter-Terrorism Centre. Authorities say to people that

they should report it to the police if they think their lives are in danger or if they receive a life threat.

Hungarian arms dealers say that after a brutal crime, the number of those who would like to buy weapons increases. However, they check everybody who enters their shop to make sure that the potential buyer is mentally stable and would not commit, for example, a mass murder.

One year ago, Nepszava asked the National Headquarters of the Hungarian Police how many Hungarians have permission to keep a gun. They said that

145 thousand people had 222 thousand arms licences.

63 thousand of them have non-combat gas pistols and alarm weapons unable to cause lethal damage. Most of the arms license holders are hunters and sports shooters. The number of those who had a firearm for self-defence was then between 3-4 thousand. Interestingly, political leaders can obtain an arms license easier than police officers or soldiers.

During the coronavirus epidemic,

demand for guns in Hungary increased significantly

– we wrote about that HERE. The trend was global because people felt unsafe and were afraid of social upheavals. ”We are selling five times as much as in a normal March,” said Gabor Vass, a gun shop owner. One of his customers said that he did not want to use the pistol he just bought, but he thought there was a real chance that the virus would bring the worst out of people. Fortunately, nothing happened, and it seems that the first phase of the epidemic is over in Hungary, and everybody hopes that the virus will not return in the fall.

Source: nepszava.hu, Daily News Hungary

9 Comments

  1. Thanks Be to God.
    That we in Hungary – have this situation under Control, and strong Laws, that if you do not follow the applicable Law, you answer severely for your Crime’s.
    United States of America – there Second Amendment – they have 33 in total – that – Protects the Right to Bear Arms – what an out of date Law, this is.
    That’ America.
    It is a – FACT – we know, the true reason why they will not remove this amendment.
    It is Politically Driven in terms of numbers and American Dollars, that are the Gun Lobby Power Groups, spread far and wide throughout the 50 states that is America, a country of 351 million people.
    The Gun Lobby Groups are powerful, large in numbers and extremely influential in terms of Political Power of Government, especially the Republican Party.

  2. Gary.J.A.Booth-Hansen.hansen That gun control sure worked out well for us in the UK….didn’t it? The law abiding populace were disarmed and the criminals can now act without fear of reprisal of their victims. But alas now our big problem is knives. When robbers cannot get a gun they just use knives and now there is a call to ban knives…..Whats next? table legs, cricket bats? bricks? Criminals are going to do what they are going to do regardless of laws enacted in the name of public safety.

    Gun laws only hurt law abiding people in that it makes them targets. Grow up Gary, you are victim of the moronic educational system in the UK.

    There may not be a lot of legally owned firearms here in Hungary but I would bet there are many black market ones in circulation. One more thing, a crude home made firearm can be easily fabricated with ordinary plumbing shop supplies and very little effort.

  3. Americans who love their firearms also trust their fellow citizens. We do not promote hating each other like socialists love to do. Oh, the socialists also include legal shootings by citizens and police into their totals of firearm deaths in the US. They need to lie about the numbers.

    We have over 300 million firearms in the US and trillions of rounds of ammunition. Consider that when you look at our statistics. We are incredibly safe and will not be victims of a bad government.

    How did Hungary’s revolution turn out? Hungarians, at the time, wished they were armed.

  4. Its okay to make tests for people who want guns, mental psychological. But its okay to have a small caliber handgun in the house, one might need it for burglars, some terrorist events of various kinds. Somewhere way from children or elderly but close enought to reach in time, in case.

  5. This is surprising considering Hungary’s history. It’s almost like the Soviets brainwashed the country against gun ownership so that it would be easier for them when they get around to invading next time.

  6. Gary. If you are in Hungary, why do you care about the United States or the reasons for their laws. Indeed, you have no comprehension of constitutional limitations of power. I submit that it none of your business and up to the people of the United States to determine what laws, in this case amendments are outdated

  7. honestly I thought Hungary had better gun laws. Hopefully Orban will fix that. Here’s to hoping!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *