Has she to give her pistol back ? It's only a fake ... you never know with administrations !The day I wait for my lost identity card statement at our local police station, an old white haired grandma came in with a big rifle and a gun. I thought that's my day it's just like a crime story where old ladies attack banks or kill people and here I was in a police station.
Fortunately I was wrong, the poor woman just followed the new law which indicates that everybody in possession of arms has to give them back before July 1st, or ask for a new permission to keep them. The old lady had inherited the arms from her late husband and she wanted to sell them instead of giving them back to just be destroyed.
That wasn't allowed the responsible person told her, she had to first ask a permission from the governor and when she had that she could sell them and the man who wished to buy them had also to ask permission. What a mess ! She also was informed that it would take about 2 months to get the permission for sale and another month for all the formulars to sell them.
I thought that during this period she would have enough time to do hold ups or play sniper. Then a man came in with a revolver (this police station became more and more cosy) and wanted to give it back. This too was not possible because for that he needed an appointment because they had too much to do ! (while I heard laughing and chatting behind a door !) He also couldn't do the appointment right away because it had to be done by phone !
The poor man then proposed to the young policemen to handle him over his phone so he would call now. The police youngster answered that he is not allowed to give the phone away ! The man started to get angry, then took his mobile out, called the respective number for appointments and I heard the phone ringing in the next office ! Finally he got an appointment for 3 days later and the funniest thing was, I could hear what he said and what the person behind the door said too. Administration I thought, instead of coming out and talk to the man !
Three other people arrived with arms in plastic bags but they had an appointment and had just to wait until somebody appeared. I have never seen so many arms in my whole life !
In Belgium from July 1st on, keeping arms whatsoever is illegal and if you don't have a permission renewable every year (to pay of course) you have to give them back. Even collectors with antique arms which don't shoot anymore have to do that too.
Now I wonder if the royal family is involved too, because I know that they are hunting in the Ardennes ! Has the King to give all his arms back or ask for permission ? And all the once which are in his collection which he inherited from the former Kings ?
All this paperwork is really too exaggerated. In the States arm laws are not severe enough or not existing and here you are not even allowed to keep a 2 or 300 year old weapon !
I wonder if I have to ask for permission for the water pistol I bought to shoot on my cats when they climb in the curtains ?
