Opinion (Rogério COPETO / Official GNR): A GNR E AS ARMAS.
This article could be about "weapons of Tancos", but it is not. It's about the need to reform the No law 5/2006, of 23 Feb. (the Gun).
Rogério COPETO
Lieutenant Colonel of the GNR
Master in Law and Security and Homeland Security Auditor
Head of the Education Division / Command Doctrine and Training
On the involvement of the GNR in the recovery of "weapons of Tancos", Simply to echo the words of Mr Exmº. Prime Minister, Dr. António Costa, who congratulated the GNR for that reason, as part of the Radio Renaissance 20 October, with the title "António Costa commends work of PJM and GNR because of Tancos", where it is stated that "The Prime Minister, António Costa, Friday congratulated 'the work of the Judicial Police Military (PJM) and the National Republican Guard (GNR) that allowed recover 'the military equipment stolen in lockers Tancos."
The collaboration of the GNR in the PJM recovery operation "Weapons of Tancos", It is no surprise, taking into account the excellent relations between these two criminal police (OPC), PJM being normal to request the cooperation of the GNR in the various investigations that develops, simply because there are military of the GNR to provide service in the PJM.
But as mentioned earlier, this article is about the GNR and the firearms and explosive substances, taking this matter been discussed in our article entitled "As deadly fireworks factories"Published no dia 27 of September, where we had the opportunity to suggest a profound reform of the Gun, particularly with regard to the licensing and exclusive control over the use and transportation of weapons, ammunition and explosives, by reason of the need to increase security in pyrotechnic factories, to decrease fatalities, that occur frequently in this type of industry.
Beyond that reason we present in this article other grounds for the need to give the GNR an equal role in licensing and control over the use and transportation of weapons, ammunition and explosives that the PSP, since that power must not be attributed exclusively to a single OPC.
The GNR has to its responsibility about 94% of the country and more than half the population, which is serviced by a network of 500 Territorial offices of GNR where any citizen can move, thus shortening the distance between the administration and the citizen, fundamental for a large share of the population with few resources, which include the elderly.
Most activities using explosive substances are located in the area of responsibility of GNR, such as the aforementioned pyrotechnic factories and quarries.
The highest activity that the Portuguese population develops with use of weapons of fires is the act venatório, which is practiced in the jurisdiction of the GNR, not being however their supervision, exclusivity GNR, as a result of "Hunting Law", where applicable "Policing and hunting supervision responsibility of the National Corps of Forest Rangers, the National Republican Guard, the Public Security Police, auxiliary Rangers, the Maritime Police, the municipal police and the vigilante nature, in terms of its powers, and to the authorities who will be assigned these skills".
On hunting supervision we echo the last operation that has developed GNR, as Article News Diary of 13 October, with the title "GNR detects over a hundred violations in operation directed hunting"Which states that"The GNR introduced 107 case of administrative offense for contempt of the Hunting Law, canids lack of registration and violations of the law of arms, during enforcement actions at national level", having the inspection operation, called "Operation Artemis", It has been conducted by belonging to the Nature Protection Service and Environment Military (SEPNA), days 5, 8 and 12 October, where they were held 12 people and seized 22 hunting weapons.
This type of business carried out by SEPNA have as "goal match the hunting activity with the conservation of nature and biodiversity, preventing, detecting and suppressing situations not in accordance with the law", and the inspection of the arms and their packaging one of the monitored areas GNR, coating this type of special importance operations, taking into account the existence of 1,5 million firearms licensed in Portugal, with the majority, hunting weapons, as Article News Journal 23 May last year, with the title "Portugal has about 1,5 million legal weapons".
If there are 1,5 million legal weapons, a study 2010, of Center for Social Studies (THESE) the University of Coimbra estimated that exist in Portugal 1,2 million illegal firearms, as I realized the article from Journal of News 20 May 2010, with the title "Portugal will 1,2 million illegal firearms", concluding that a quarter of the Portuguese population has a legal or illegal weapon, and that another of the study's findings "It indicates that most illegal weapons are shotguns".
The article states that the JN "the study of CES is considered the first held scientific groundwork, in Portugal, about the reality of weapons", also completing "that many of the illegal weapons have been legal. The change is explained, largely, the theft and loss of these weapons. Between 2004 and 2007, account for the investigating, They have been stolen or lost 5913 firearms, which gave an average of four per day (70% shotguns, 17% guns and 9% revolvers)".
On the seizure of weapons, the Homeland Security Annual Report 2016 (I wrote in 2016) which gives account 2016 They were seized 9172 firearms, a result of 7895 Actions (inspections, searches and awareness-raising), still referring to RASI-2016 that under the "Special Crime Prevention Operations - the Gun", whose aim is "carry out monitoring, detection and monitoring of the regularity of the weapons situation, its components or ammunition, or substances or products referred to in the Act 5/2006 of 23 Feb., reducing the risk of illegal practice", were realized 323 operations, where they were committed 7209 military of the GNR and PSP agents, arrested 397 people and seized 108 firearms, representing 1,2% of all firearms seized in 2016, concluding that most seizures result of inspections and searches, having said "Special Crime Prevention Operations - the Gun" an efficacy of 1,2% and the ratio of 67 military / agents for each weapon seized.
For these reasons and also by the military nature of the GNR returned to mention that the licensing and control over the use and transportation of weapons, ammunition and explosives, It should be extended to GNR, thereby increasing the effectiveness of the Gun.
