Iceland review - 2019, Page 109

107
Iceland Review
A total recall of unregistered firearms
It was not always the case that there were few
unregistered firearms. After World War II,
Icelanders owned a large number of unregistered
weapons, left by the tens of thousands of Allied
troops who were based in Iceland during the war.
Over the coming decades, more were brought in by
trawlermen and sailors.
These unregistered firearms turned up in two
separate murders which sent shockwaves through
Icelandic society in the first half of 1968. Following
the second murder in May 1968, when a manager
at Icelandair was shot by a recently fired pilot, gun
regulations were tightened, and a massive recall of
unregistered and illegal firearms was initiated. Full
clemency was offered to anyone who turned in or
registered unregistered firearms.
Some 450 handguns were turned in to the police
as well as seven submachine guns, while hundreds
of previously unregistered rifles and shotguns were
registered.
Guns and culture
Strict legislation is only one part of the reason
Iceland has so little gun crime. Helgi tells me,
“Icelanders do not view guns as weapons. The
thought of needing a gun to protect yourself or your
home from attackers or thieves is completely alien
to Icelanders,” he argues. “Iceland is one of the most
peaceful societies on Earth, and the idea that you
need to be armed for protection makes no sense.”
The law does not recognise weapons as part of home
or personal defence. Guns must be kept locked away
and ammo stored separately. This also minimises or
Gun ownersh ip is
a pr iv i lege in Ice land ,
rather than a r ight .
The Special Forces Unit snipers
train regularly but have never had
to fire their guns in the line of duty.