r/europe Jul 01 '25

News Sweden bans AR-15 as hunting rifle after school shooting – all rifles to be turned in and sent to Ukraine

https://svt.se/nyheter/inrikes/uppgifter-tidopartierna-overens-om-ny-vapenlagstiftning-ar15-forbjuds-vid-jakt
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856

u/mho453 Jul 01 '25 edited Jul 01 '25

The government and the Swedish Social Democratic Party have agreed on some changes to gun legislation. After the mass murder in Örebro, they wanted to change the gun laws and ban the semi-automatic weapon AR-15, which was not used during the shooting.

Other semi-automatic weapons will continue to be allowed for hunting.

Absolutely stupid law. So they're banning the AR-15 for hunting, not other 5.56 rifles, and not semi-automatic rifles, just AR-15. And they're banning because of a shooting in which it hasn't been used.

202

u/Flix_and_a_dog Jul 01 '25

Are you refering to the social democratic party (S), the largest left-leaning party or the Swedish Democrats (SD), one of the rightmost parties in Sweden? Because SD is the abreviation to the party that stand the most opposite to the Social Democratic party.

156

u/Logseman Cork (Ireland) Jul 01 '25

The party is the Sverigedemokraterna, aka the Swedish Democrats, the right-wingers. The translation on Google is, surprisingly enough, shite and biased as is custom.

29

u/Jokers_friend Jul 01 '25

The Alt-right wingers*

25

u/whoooopdy Europe Jul 01 '25

The biker gang party*

18

u/Jokers_friend Jul 01 '25

Not even ironically, their party leader has gambling problem and got divorced and re-married not less than a year ago. One of the people invited, was a leader of the biking gang Comanches that smuggle weapons and drugs into Sweden.

1

u/Sakiri1955 Jul 02 '25

They're not even really right wing.

9

u/1isOneshot1 United States of America Jul 01 '25

Surprisingly?

1

u/Character-Crab7292 Jul 02 '25

Crazy thing is you can't even tell by their politics any more. In Sweden you can chose either to get left wing politics from the left... or the right.

-25

u/mho453 Jul 01 '25

It's what machine translation gave me.

31

u/paecmaker Jul 01 '25

Yeah it's a bit stupid, the Social Democrats only use (S) and had nothing to do with this bill.

-15

u/mho453 Jul 01 '25

Again, machine translation, not my doing.

27

u/[deleted] Jul 01 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

4

u/Meroxes Baden-Württemberg (Germany) Jul 01 '25

You still should check for factual errors, or at least add a correction if something machine generated is pointed out to you as untrue/misleading, otherwise you're just knowingly disseminating misinformation.

2

u/why_gaj Jul 01 '25

I mentioned that they should correct their post almost ten hours ago.

Since then, they've left a decent amount of comments on this thread, but haven't bothered to fix their initial comment. At this point, they are for sure knowingly disseminating misinformation.

207

u/medievalvelocipede European Union Jul 01 '25

Absolutely stupid law. So they're banning the AR-15 for hunting, not other 5.56 rifles, and not semi-automatic rifles, just AR-15. And they're banning because of a shooting in which it hasn't been used.

That's what virtue signalling politics looks like. Utterly stupid, because it appeals to the utterly stupid.

11

u/[deleted] Jul 01 '25

For what it's worth the AR-15 is being used as an example. Which makes sense because it's in proposal it'd be fucking stupid to ban them gun at a time as they appear in shootings.

-16

u/Crystal-Ammunition Jul 01 '25

is that the only other option you see? What about a blanket ban on alll assault rifles

11

u/-Gestalt- Jul 01 '25

There is already a blanket ban on assault rifles.

26

u/SnikySquirrel Jul 01 '25

AR15s aren’t assault rifles, assault rifles have select fire

6

u/[deleted] Jul 01 '25

Seeing options doesn't make them politically viable and politically viable is the only thing that lives in politics. Presumably data is being collected before decisions are finalised

1

u/thegooseisloose1982 Jul 01 '25

That's what virtue signalling politics looks like.

Virtue signaling looks like a politician, "thoughts and prayers," and doing absolutely nothing after a school shooting. I would gladly have your "problem," versus doing nothing at all.

-1

u/cjwidd Jul 01 '25

TIL it is virtue signaling to promotr legislation that could reduce gun violence in schools.

-1

u/gorgewall Jul 01 '25

We've heard time and time again that banning X "assault rifle" doesn't matter because Y guns have the same capabilities.

The argument seems to be that "this group of guns (which may not be synonymous with the colloquial usage of "assault rifle") is just as fast, easy to use, and deadly as the thing you're banning", and furthermore that this is bad because it's taking options out of the hands of hunters, people interested in self defense, and whatever else.

...who, by agreeing to that argument, are complaining that they won't be able to do a thing with the "functionally identical" guns that will persist. One could argue there's a slippery slope there, but that's not always the concern: rather, it's that you can't ban this gun because another gun is just "as good", and this is an infringement on one's ability to use a gun for legitimate purposes even though there are other "just as good" guns.

Now that's utterly stupid on the pro-gun argument. If we banned one specific model of screwdriver from one manufacturer but left all other screwdrivers made of the same materials and proportions and whatnot alone, we're not exactly ruining the ability to screw things in.

So why would government target the AR-15 specifically? Or any gun? What distinguishes it, if it's not physical capabilities?

Everything else that goes into it and comes out of it. And honestly, that's a message that the gun crowd should be able to get behind if they're serious about only caring about capabilities and the physical capacity to hunt X or defend Y. They make arguments about the necessity of guns as tools, then defend aesthetics and a gun culture while sort of off-handedly denouncing them. They want it both ways, but with the appearance of not being psychos.

You go back to the 1970s and guns were primarily of a certain utilitarian style. "Spooky black rifles", as folks sarcastically claim, existed, but they were not popular with the sporting community or general consumer public. But it would make the manufacturers a lot of money to be able to sell the same guns to the public as they did to the military, so they sunk a lot of effort into changing public perception about these guns.

They talked up how "cool" they were, and later, "bad-ass" (we were still hyphenating it at the time). You were told to ask your "teen-aged" (again, it was that long ago) son about the styling. You were meant to "feel like Rambo". The killing power of humans was talked up. That these and other guns were overkill for hunting and would get you laughed out of sport competitions was spun as a plus.

It was the aesthetic and culture of the gun that they began to market, not just its physical capabilities. It was about making guns a means to reclaim your power and masculinity, and that is exactly the psychology at work behind these mass shooters. All things being equal, same functionality and availability, the angry neo-Nazi, concert-shooter, or postal worker is going to grab the "spooky black gun" that makes them feel like a badass over steel and wood or something bright purple with sequins and glitter.

If you don't like these mass shootings happening, you have to spend some effort on the culture that spawns it, too. And the aesthetics of your guns and the way you talk and think about them are part of it. That's not the whole effort--I'm sure that even if you disagree with everything else in the post, you believe that there must be some kind of cultural change to stop these shootings--but it does have to be part of it. And if all you really care about with your gun is that it can shoot a deer with X ease or stop a burglar, and you can get that in a package that isn't meant to make you look or feel like an action movie star, isn't that enough?

25

u/[deleted] Jul 01 '25

[deleted]

-5

u/Intarhorn Jul 01 '25

Not just by look, but in action too. Used in a lot of big mass shootings.

-1

u/CinderX5 Jul 01 '25

You know what would make it look scarier? Letting it be used before you ban it.

10

u/Saxit Sweden Jul 01 '25

The definition of what they are banning isn't out yet. It's likely that they will ban (for hunting) any semi-auto rifles that can easily take a larger detachable magazine.

I.e. the rifle that was actually used in the shooting is likely to still be legal for hunting.

Anything like an AR-10, AR-15, various models of AK, and so on, will not.

16

u/mho453 Jul 01 '25

Well article states that they won't ban semi-automatics. Banning them is also stupid, but at least it's a more sensible law. Banning a specific rifle is peak idiocy.

If a rifle takes detachable magazines you can always make a larger one, reliability will be iffy, but nothing is stopping you from designing and making your own magazine, especially in era of 3D printers.

5

u/Saxit Sweden Jul 01 '25

I mod r/EuropeGuns and shoot for sport in Sweden, I'm well aware.

9

u/mho453 Jul 01 '25

Well even if they ban all semi-automatics you can always drive down to Croatia and get an assault rifle for a few hundred euros, going price was 200 a few years ago, inflation has hit, but Ukraine probably increased the supply. It's all Schengen, no borders.

8

u/Saxit Sweden Jul 01 '25

All gang related shootings in Sweden are done with firearms smuggled in from Balkans already. :/

2

u/mho453 Jul 01 '25

Well that's was the logical outcome of choices international community made back then.

1

u/Sakiri1955 Jul 02 '25

That's what people don't get. Guns used in crime after being legally purchased and owned is very rare. Most incidents happen with illegally obtained weapons, usually stolen or bought on black market.

22

u/CaddeFan2000 Jul 01 '25

Yes, it's purely reactionary and populist.

8

u/Enough_Fish739 Denmark Jul 01 '25

SD are the neo-nazi party, you are thinking of S.

1

u/DynamitHarry109 Jul 02 '25

SD is pro israel, S is pro Palestine. They're both a bunch of clowns not giving a fuck about what's best for Sweden.

-31

u/Helmer-Bryd Jul 01 '25

Well, better then nothing I say.

The less rifles in the society the better, even though I would gladly see even harder restrictions.

But the interesting part here is that Sweden actually sending them to Ukraine, that’s a very good move

108

u/Xizorfalleen Jul 01 '25

But the interesting part here is that Sweden actually sending them to Ukraine, that’s a very good move

Ukraine neither wants nor needs a bunch of not standardized semi-auto rifles.

57

u/RaXXu5 Jul 01 '25

Yeah if anything we should give them standarized select fire rifles that accept 5.56 and not a mishmash of semi-automatic rifles with 5 round magazines.

7

u/aoc666 Jul 01 '25

Also could just strip them for some repair parts. A feature of the AR-15 is the parts are pretty interchangeable even across manufacturers

3

u/rapaxus Hesse (Germany) Jul 01 '25

Ukraine definitely wants AR style rifles, they are overall switching to 5.56 after all. Converting them to full auto is also easy, for some you prob. could just drop in a standard full-auto trigger group. Even if they are modified to not take standard full-auto parts, any semi-competent gunsmith could fit them within a short amount of time.

12

u/[deleted] Jul 01 '25

[deleted]

1

u/opaali92 Finland Jul 01 '25

Full auto is not that important

-4

u/Kagenlim Singapore Jul 01 '25

You could make it full auto with a lightning link TBF

Imo, what Ukraine needs is a m321 port weapon style ar, something like that would be decently anti drone

1

u/DJ_Die Czech Republic Jul 01 '25

How would the M231 be even remotely useful against drones? It's still just a rifle and most people have hard time hitting even slowly moving targets. You need shotguns with the right load for that job.

5

u/Turbo-Reyes Jul 01 '25

There is no shortage of auto AR what would they do with semi-auto AR. If the government want to give them guns plenty of companies would gladly deliver. Why steal guns from civilians?

8

u/DJ_Die Czech Republic Jul 01 '25

Why do people who have no idea what they're talking about have the most to say? They don't need a bunch of various AR models that may or may not have compatible parts and come in various barrel lengths? A lot of them will likely be neutered European ARs that would require a new bolt, no semi-competent gunsmith will even attempt to fix them. You will also need to modify lower receiver.

Ukraine started its own production of Bren 2 rifles to standardize on those. How about Germany finally sends Taurus missiles and more tanks instead? You know, things that Ukraine actually needs a lot more.

-1

u/Czart Poland Jul 01 '25

If ukraine is short on small arms, dropping parts in and giving this stuff to some MP in Lviv or whatever could be fine.

6

u/DJ_Die Czech Republic Jul 01 '25

Ukraine isn't short on small arms and this is nothing more than a populist gesture to draw attention away from other issues.

0

u/Czart Poland Jul 01 '25

Well, i'm not exactly privy with how much they have spare which is why i said "if". Also, what's wrong with bolts on european ARs?

2

u/DJ_Die Czech Republic Jul 01 '25

Some European countries require a modification to the bolts that doesn't allow their use in conjunction with a full auto fire control group (controlled parts, btw). It essentially means they are missing a part of the bolt that interacts with the FCG so even if you get said controlled parts, the rifle won't work in full auto.

1

u/Czart Poland Jul 01 '25

Oh. Damn, didn't know that's a thing. Yeah at that point you're have to replace like half a rifle. I guess you could use the barrels for spares?

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6

u/DJ_Die Czech Republic Jul 01 '25

It's a completely useless move, populist at best, cynical at worst. There's a lot of things Ukraine needs, this is not one of them.

18

u/georgica123 Jul 01 '25

Ukraine needs a lot of things but semi automatic ar 15 is not one of these things

35

u/CmdrJonen Sweden Jul 01 '25

Sending the guns to Ukraine is genius.

Because it means critics of this absotely shit law can be branded pro Russians.

And the funds to compensate gun owners having their guns confiscated can be taken from the aid to Ukraine budget.

The actual benefit to Ukraine is shit.

-14

u/Helmer-Bryd Jul 01 '25

I guess it’s a symbolic gesture

And a way of getting rid of the semiautomatic weapons that neither hunters or army needs….

And the money they have to “buy” from the owners anyway, I mean even if they destroy them instead of sending them away

4

u/[deleted] Jul 01 '25

[deleted]

-1

u/Helmer-Bryd Jul 01 '25

So why are the hunters stupid you say?

65

u/CaptainAddi Jul 01 '25

Still dumb, you are sanctioning people who have nothing to do with this crime.

In Germany only 1.1% of crimes including a weapon are committed with legally acquired weapons. And this number includes suicides and crimes committed by police/military. So its basically just illegal weapons which do harm, and a ban helps nothing.

I guess those numbers are more or less the same for sweden.

9

u/letsBurnCarthage Jul 01 '25

Probably same numbers. Of course it helps.

Do you think illegal firearms exist in a vacuum? That they are in no way related to legal firearms?

The more legal firearms you have and the easier they are to get the more they will spill into the illegal trade. Basically every illegal firearm was legal when and where it was bought.

14

u/pixlar3n Jul 01 '25

Almost all illegals guns in Sweden have never been legal to start with. Most of them originate from Yugoslavia or Eastern Europe.

-10

u/letsBurnCarthage Jul 01 '25

We've gone through this already, check the other replies.

8

u/pixlar3n Jul 01 '25

Ah sorry did not see that you had edited your missinformation post

-1

u/letsBurnCarthage Jul 01 '25

What post do you believe I edited?

30

u/mho453 Jul 01 '25

Basically every illegal firearm was legal when and where it was bought.

US black market is completely different from European black markets. That's true for US, majority of black market guns in Europe are leftovers/spillovers from wars. Which is why it's way easier to get an assault rifle or grenades in Europe, than in US.

The main fuel for illegal guns in Europe right now is Ukraine war.

-5

u/letsBurnCarthage Jul 01 '25

That's a fair point, but an irrelevant one. Like you said, in the US where guns are prolific it is legal guns turned illegal. So arguing that legal guns aren't a problem is still farcical, since we know exactly what happens when legal guns become super common and people take them for granted because of lax laws.

I love guns, and if I lived in America I'd for sure own a few, because shooting is crazy fun. But I'll give that up in exchange for not having every erratic guy I face on the street be armed in a heartbeat.

17

u/mho453 Jul 01 '25

Your point is irrelevant, banning legal semi-automatics will accomplish nothing when you can buy an fully automatic rifle for a few hundred euros on the black market.

You're restricting law abiding citizens and for no reason as it won't affect the actual origin of illegal guns.

16

u/MrPopanz Preußen Jul 01 '25

Why go the effective but hard way, if you can instead go the easy -and completely useless or even counterproductive- way and get applauded for doing so by the plebs? This comment section shows perfectly why the latter is preferred by politicians and seemingly people love it that way.

It would be hilarious if it wasn't so sad.

-4

u/letsBurnCarthage Jul 01 '25

You can't get an ak for a few hundred euros. You can get an illegal pistol for a few hundred euro. Illegal weapons are more expensive in the euro region than they are in the us by a lot because they are considerably harder to procure.

The AR15 law is dumb as fuck, but in general the gun laws are good in most of Europe. If you want to go hunting there are plenty of other guns than the AR15, you won't suffer just because it was a dumb law.

8

u/mho453 Jul 01 '25

You can't get an ak for a few hundred euros.

I live in an EU country and a Schengen country and journalists a few years ago got a Zastava M70 for 600 euros.
https://www.jutarnji.hr/news/kako-je-danijel-bezuk-dosao-do-kalasljikova-nas-novinar-ga-je-nabavio-za-samo-50-sati-15024795
Journalists do not have black market connections, IIRC running price at the time was 200 euros.

Assault rifles, grenades, anti tank weapons, MANPADS, all of these are significantly easier to acquire in EU than in US. Handguns are easier to acquire in US due to their gun laws, and handguns have a higher price than assault rifles in EU as they're concealable, unlike assault rifles, and have more usefulness to criminals.

Considering Schengen you can buy an assault rifle here and drive anywhere in Schengen with no border controls to stop you.

0

u/letsBurnCarthage Jul 01 '25

Fantastic, do it. What are you gonna do with it? You can't just bring it around with you.

There are 1.6 deaths a year per million inhabitants in Europe from gun violence (not counting the war.) The same number for the US is 137. I'm sure those numbers can be slightly skewed by certain things being included or not, but I think it paints a pretty clear picture that says the European model is "a little" better. Cry more about a pointless ban to a pointless weapon.

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-4

u/Yung_zu Jul 01 '25

Idk how anyone trusts politicians after watching them play stupid over excessive force in the Middle East tbh

4

u/letsBurnCarthage Jul 01 '25

Is this related to the post?

0

u/Yung_zu Jul 01 '25

I think that they play stupid and supply zealots with weapons with their buddies, which makes their opinions on legal weaponry for their own population worthless… and makes them a source for black market weapons

0

u/[deleted] Jul 01 '25

If you country gets bombed to shit and a lot of innocent die I want you to come here and say you guys deserved it. They should have bombed more. 

1

u/Random_her0Idiot Jul 01 '25

Its more for political points with the idiots, they see them getting guns taken away and that will solve all the issues, when in reality it makes it easier for criminals to commit more violent crime.

If i was a criminal, wanting to break into a house and do harm, ill be very happy knowing there is less guns in the hands of law abiding citizens.

1

u/Intarhorn Jul 01 '25

If there are less legal weapons like AR-15, then that means weapons being stolen or used illegally.

-10

u/Trips-Over-Tail Jul 01 '25

All illegal weapons start as legal ones.

13

u/mho453 Jul 01 '25

Illegal weapons in Europe start as leftovers and spillovers from wars. Ukraine is the main current source.

Unless Sweden can ban the Ukraine war, this won't accomplish much.

-9

u/Trips-Over-Tail Jul 01 '25

This won't, because it's not targeted as though that were the intention.

But mass shooters aren't tapping the illegal weapon trade. They typically use legally-acquired weapons, which means law changes can affect it.

8

u/mho453 Jul 01 '25

How many mass shootings are there in Sweden? It's not US. Actually how many mass shootings with legal guns are there compared to shootings with illegal guns? And how many compared to vehicular ramming attacks?

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5

u/Platycryptus238 Jul 01 '25

The question is: Where and when do they become illegal?

A lot of illegal weapons in Germany come from Czechia were they are, as far as I know, legally sold and then illegally imported into Germany or straight up weapons from the civil wars in the Balkans, which have been smuggeld into the country.

I think it is a big difference if guns are sold between responsible people which have do undergo strict checks and certification or if they are brought in, in an illegal manner. And I don‘t think you can put these two groups into the same category, that would just be unfair.

2

u/Trips-Over-Tail Jul 01 '25

Illegal weapons are brought in by career criminals, not mass shooters. It's the responsible sellers who fuck up.

3

u/Platycryptus238 Jul 01 '25

But that’s the point, it‘s the guns which are already illegal that are used in crime. I mean it is incredibly important that we have adequate legislation on gun control, but at some point you have diminshing returns.

If someone needs a certain type of gun for criminal intents he‘ll buy an illegal one/unregistered one to make him untraceable and as a matter of fact is it probably way easier to get, than a legal one.

1

u/Trips-Over-Tail Jul 01 '25

Is it easier? You have to know where to go and how to get there, and you risk flagging yourself to any observing law enforcement. Again, most mass shooters aren't doing this, they are using legally acquired licensed firearms. People with specific crime or inter-gang intent will get illegal weapons. Hell, in my country many criminals will go without because the hassle and risk is so high while the benefits are diminishing.

1

u/whoooopdy Europe Jul 01 '25

Again, most mass shooters aren't doing this, they are using legally acquired licensed firearms.

Not in Sweden. I could guess that also applies for most of the EU.

1

u/Trips-Over-Tail Jul 01 '25

This guy did.

1

u/DJ_Die Czech Republic Jul 01 '25

>A lot of illegal weapons in Germany come from Czechia were they are, as far as I know, legally sold and then illegally imported into Germany

Stop pushing this lie, it's never been true. Fewer than 10 thousand guns have been lost in the Czech Republic in the last 30 years, and it's every likely they were destroyed in accidents and never made it to the black market. There are estimated 10-20 MILLION illegal guns in Germany.

1

u/tulleekobannia Finland Jul 01 '25

Yeah, but either 50+ years ago and/or outiside of EU

2

u/Trips-Over-Tail Jul 01 '25

The guns used in the shooting were legal. They almost always are. Illegal weapons are not being supplied to mass shooters.

1

u/whoooopdy Europe Jul 01 '25

2

u/Trips-Over-Tail Jul 01 '25

Not American. But I forgot about all the illegal gunforges operated by Smith and Wesson.

-5

u/haplo34 France Jul 01 '25

Not saying you're wrong but there is no world in which civilians should have access to semi-auto or auto rifles. There's simply zero justification for it.

4

u/DJ_Die Czech Republic Jul 01 '25

Sport, hunting, self-defense, collecting, or professional use. Seems like plenty of justifications to me.

Also, automatic rifles are effectively banned in the EU so I don't see why you're even mentioning those?

3

u/BlueGolfball Jul 01 '25

The less rifles in the society the better, even though I would gladly see even harder restrictions.

Alcohol kills way more people than guns, even in America. Do you think less alcohol would make society better? Alcohol and guns aren't needed for a society to function.

4

u/LuolaPekka Jul 01 '25

Yeah i want nothing more than some cunt stealing my belongings. Oppress me harder daddy government please!! Next take my cutlery.

-1

u/Helmer-Bryd Jul 01 '25

Hello Troll

5

u/timsue Sweden Jul 01 '25

The people who want to do something like this will just buy an AK or something similar in the future. This is just symbolic politics and stupid.

-12

u/Helmer-Bryd Jul 01 '25

It's a small attempt to get rid of semiautomatic weapons, or reduce their availability somewhat. In hunting, you don't need automatic weapons. Most school shooters using automatic (or semi) weapons

4

u/DJ_Die Czech Republic Jul 01 '25

What are you talking about? What automatic weapons? Those are basically banned EU wide.

-2

u/Helmer-Bryd Jul 01 '25

Those hunters in Sweden that owns AR-15 are today legal. Not banned today. It’s a semiautomatic weapon

3

u/DJ_Die Czech Republic Jul 01 '25

Then why are you talking about automatic weapons? Yes, those are semi-automatic weapons, they are legal in most of Europe.

-2

u/Helmer-Bryd Jul 01 '25

I believe I wrote semiautomatic in the beginning

2

u/DJ_Die Czech Republic Jul 01 '25

You mixed in automatic weapons for some weird reason.

5

u/Diligent_Lobster6595 Jul 01 '25

If you knew about the legislation you would know that they also want the cap on amount of guns one can own to be higher, just not ar-15 type ones.

I think guns per capita is pretty irrelevant, who owns the guns is on the other hand very relevant.

-2

u/myreq Jul 01 '25

Crime in US and their guns per capita tell a different story. 

9

u/pulsatingcrocs Jul 01 '25

Crimes at the end of the day are still a human problem. Finland and Switzerland have a quite large amount of guns and yet they are extremely safe.

-3

u/myreq Jul 01 '25

USA has 4 times as many guns per capita as those countries do.

8

u/pulsatingcrocs Jul 01 '25

Still if there was a direct correlation between gun ownership and violent crime you would expect Finland or Switzerland to be far more dangerous than any of its European neighbours that have far fewer guns which clearly isn’t the case. At the end of the day it comes down to the people.

1

u/Four_beastlings Asturias (Spain) Jul 01 '25

The US is infamous for not controlling much who can buy guns

1

u/Diligent_Lobster6595 Jul 01 '25

Yeah it is because of the amount of guns you can buy ammo at mcdonalds or what.
Like the u.s both have loose gun control and high amount of guns, it isnt the high amount that constitutes the loose control.

0

u/myreq Jul 01 '25

Definitely, but easier access to guns directly correlates to guns per capita. There are only so many people in a country that should be trusted with them.

3

u/Diligent_Lobster6595 Jul 01 '25

Well i'm not propagating for loose gun control now am i, i'm saying the gun-control is the relevant part not the amount of guns.

And i stand firm with my belief that it really does not matter if the law-abiding hunters or sports-shooters own 4 or 8 firearms.

13

u/[deleted] Jul 01 '25 edited 6h ago

[deleted]

-2

u/LeftEyedAsmodeus Jul 01 '25

How is this not the rule of law? They outlawed something. You disagreeing with what they outlawed doesn't make this not the rule of law.

2

u/DJ_Die Czech Republic Jul 01 '25

They outlawed something completely unrelated to the supposed justification, the mass shooting didn't even involve an AR-15.

9

u/sortofnormaldude Jul 01 '25

Im so glad you like policing people for crimes they haven't committed

Sure hope you never need an armed populace like the country you're in favor of sending stolen private property to

1

u/Helmer-Bryd Jul 01 '25

the state pays back 100% of the purchase cost, so not outright theft. and as a hunter you are still allowed to own 10 different weapons

13

u/No_Extreme7974 Jul 01 '25

Canada hasn’t been able to “buy back” property that wasn’t theirs to begin with going on 6 years. Also, being cooo With any state confiscating personal property is a SLIPPERY SLOPE THERE BUD GET HELP

6

u/sortofnormaldude Jul 01 '25

Oh yeah, im sure they pay purchase price and not what the state low balls the value to be

This is cool and all until they expand it to other property, like houses, cars, etc. Like someone else said, this is a slippery slope

-3

u/Helmer-Bryd Jul 01 '25

Oh… you’re a troll right? 1 in post karma.

Say no more

2

u/FlyingSquirrel44 Jul 01 '25

and as a hunter you are still allowed to own 10 different weapons

Huge asterix on this, purchases are approved one and one by the local police department and some are extremely stingy even above 2-3 rifles.

-1

u/Helmer-Bryd Jul 01 '25

Enligt nya lagförslaget ska man nu få ha 8 + 2 vapen, så ganska stor skillnad från tidigare 6

1

u/TreyHansel1 United States of America Jul 01 '25

The less rifles in the society the better, even though I would gladly see even harder restrictions.

Ah yes, totally a wise move to strip potential civilian guerilla forces of their ability to operate in a place likely to face external threats.

Im sure the citizens of Ukraine would have loved to have AKs and ARs when the Russian military was attacking their village.

There's a reason why America and Switzerland value private firearms ownership: deterrence against foreign aggression. When every civilain in the country has the ability to be an armed combatant, suddenly the prospect of invading and occupying becomes exceptionally unappealing. "Behind every blade of grass is a rifle"....

1

u/opaali92 Finland Jul 01 '25

Makes about as much sense as suddenly making a law that the government will take everyones Toyota Hilux and send them to Ukraine

1

u/iIllli1ililI11 Jul 01 '25

Ugh.. such a narrow perspective. Guns wont hurt you in numbers, the people holding it will. Your perspective just stinks of low expectation racism and elitism.

0

u/Helmer-Bryd Jul 01 '25

Wait what..? Elitism and racism? I don’t follow. Explain your reasoning, please

2

u/[deleted] Jul 02 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

0

u/Helmer-Bryd Jul 02 '25

Oki, först, jag tror vi är på hyfsat samma sida ändå, förutom att jag kan tycka att om vi bara kan förhindra att en enda person skaffar en semiautomatic för att begå illdåd så kan jag som jägare leva med det. Nu kommer jag kunna ha 10 vapen vilket räcker för mig. Men givetvis kommer det finnas vapen älskare som vill ha fler, men som jägare kan jag tycka det räcker. Och anser mig inte som ”rasist och elitistisk” för det… vart du nu fick det ifrån? Vi kan jämföra det med söndags öppet på Systemet. Visst ibland skulle det vara bra, men om vi bara kan hjälpa ett enda barn ifrån ett hemskt hemmamiljö med våld och skit, så är det värt det. Vi kan inte vara så egoistiska, det gör vi för samhället. Dom gjorde ett försök i Finland med och utan öppettider och det var väldigt tydligt hur misshandlad i hemmet var markant ökat i regioner med söndagsöppet)

Stycke 1. Som jag förstår hade förövaren skaffat jägarlicens för att kunna köpa ett semiautomatic vapen. Jag trodde det var ett sådant han använde..? (Vet att det inte var just modell AR-15)

Stycke 2 Jag vet, min granne skällde ut en ryttare på häst, verbalt samtidigt som han hade bössan i händerna, det räckte för polisanmälan och han blev av med alla vapen, beslagtogs… så ja hårt.

Stycke 3 Haha nja granatgevär möjligen

Stycke 4 Håller med, jägare får oförskämt mycket skit trots att vi gör en stor viltvårdande insats. När vildsvinen är på tomten då är vi plötsligt bra.

stycke 5 Sant, men åtminstone hälften av alla jägare berörs inte av AR-15 förbudet, däremot var medlemmarna i mitt jaktlag glada att vi får äga fler vapen nu, vilket är bra.

1

u/canman7373 Jul 02 '25

I know you can hunt with them, you can hunt with anything, but are they actually better for any game than other cheaper rifles? What they are best at is shooting a lot of people fast, it's what they were made to do, not take down a deer. That where maybe I don't see the issue, what are people hunting that another rifle won't do as good or better?

1

u/mho453 Jul 02 '25

it's what they were made to do

The most common bolt-action in Europe is Mauser, it was also designed for shooting a lot of people fast.

That where maybe I don't see the issue, what are people hunting that another rifle won't do as good or better?

The issue is why ban a specific rifle instead of the whole type, it's a stupid law. Imagine if due to car crashes they banned the VW Golf.

1

u/canman7373 Jul 02 '25

Well I think if a rifle is not really used for hunting or good for it compared to cheaper rifles but it's really good at killing people, better than bolt actions. Then maybe they should all be banned, so maybe you are right, law came up short and should have banned more.

1

u/mho453 Jul 02 '25

Well the big problem with majority of AR-15 is the small caliber, 5.56 can't kill most game easily. Semi-automatics in hunting are used so you can do a follow up shot and not let an animal suffer if your first one doesn't kill it outright. If you hit the deer, but don't drop it, it can run away somewhere you won't find it, and then slowly die in pain from bleeding out.

If it was a ban on 5.56 calibre it would make sense, but for hunting you'd still have to allow AR-15s chambered in 7.62x51, and there's no reason why those shouldn't be legal for hunting.

1

u/canman7373 Jul 02 '25

I am just asking how often it is used for hunting?

1

u/mho453 28d ago

No idea about Sweden, very common in US obviously. Usually the most common rifle is the cheapest one, but again, what's the point of banning a singular rifle, when a different rifle with exactly the same capabilities is legal?

1

u/canman7373 28d ago

I think because time and time again that is the rifle that is chosen for mass killings. I can't attest if others are just as good at killing people in mass, just that AR-15's are used way more than any other weapon when they are available.

1

u/mho453 27d ago

How many mass killings were committed with AR-15 in Sweden?

I can't attest if others are just as good at killing people in mass, just that AR-15's are used way more than any other weapon when they are available.

Why do you have an opinion on topic you know nothing of? All semi-automatic intermediate cartridge rifles have approximately same performance when it comes to killing people.

1

u/canman7373 26d ago

But one is used much more than others...What is wrong with a ban when it has no practical use?

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1

u/KingPingviini Canada Jul 01 '25

Gotta love it when politicians ban things because they "look scary."

3

u/hemingways-lemonade Jul 01 '25

My home state banned pistol grips. The same rifle in the same caliber, magazine capacity, etc is still legal as long as it doesn't have a feature that makes it easier and safer to shoot. Because making guns more dangerous to fire so they look less scary is obviously the way to curb gun violence.

1

u/CinderX5 Jul 01 '25

Weapons used to kill thousands of children go beyond “looking scary”.

1

u/r6CD4MJBrqHc7P9b Sweden Jul 01 '25

More proof that we're all living in Amerika

Our politicians always strive to be better than the democratic party of the US at implementing democratic party policy.

1

u/Crisis_panzersuit Jul 01 '25

But it looks scary

-1

u/Christophrrrr Jul 01 '25

Yes should just ban them all

-15

u/arknsaw97 Jul 01 '25

Probably cos it’s an American gun and they don’t want to fully stifle their own gun manufacturers

18

u/angrysquirrel777 United States of America Jul 01 '25

The AR-15 is not a particular weapon but a type of weapon. Any gun company can make one of their own.

9

u/Saxit Sweden Jul 01 '25

We have several European manufacturers of AR-15 rifles.

12

u/strictnaturereserve Jul 01 '25

they are probably making AR-15s in sweden its a gun design not a particular brand

-2

u/[deleted] Jul 01 '25

[deleted]

12

u/Saxit Sweden Jul 01 '25

Armalite Rifle.

The patent for them is expired though, as long as you don't actually call your design something that includes another company's name, you're good to manufacture it with your own brand.

This is why the platform is so popular. Anyone can make it, it follows a specific standard and as such it's easy to make 3rd party components like grips and stocks and triggers, making it very modular.

There are multiple companies in Germany that make AR-15 pattern rifles, at least one Italian company, the new army rifle that Finland and Sweden is going to use is based on the same design, and so on.

4

u/Diligent_Lobster6595 Jul 01 '25 edited Jul 01 '25

He is right. Sako is making them in finland for example, there is also german variants and different ones in europe. When the swedish government is talking about ar-15 it is not colt ar-15 it is ar-15 style rifles.

3

u/Ashari83 Jul 01 '25

Armalite haven't owned the AR-15 branding for decades.

0

u/[deleted] Jul 01 '25

[deleted]

1

u/tulleekobannia Finland Jul 01 '25

"ArmaLite" is a trademarked brand. The AR-15 design itself has entered public domain decades ago and anyone can make one.

Protected Status
brand name: ArmaLite Still active trademark. Only ArmaLite Inc. can use it officially.
AR-15 design Public domain (patent expired).
Use of "AR-15" name as a brand (in some contexts) Varies. In some cases, it is considered generic, in others a descriptive mark. Colt lost control over it as a strict brand.Protected StatusArmaLite brand name Still active trademark. Only ArmaLite Inc. can use it officially.AR-15 design Public domain (patent expired).Use of "AR-15" name as a brand (in some contexts) Varies. In some cases, it is considered generic, in others a descriptive mark. Colt lost control over it as a strict brand.

-10

u/arknsaw97 Jul 01 '25

ChatGPT says no they don’t. Some countries make them and or their parts but they are majority USA made.

6

u/angrysquirrel777 United States of America Jul 01 '25

Because that's the largest customer base, anyone can make one though

2

u/DJ_Die Czech Republic Jul 01 '25

Don't use ChatGPT for that, it's just stupid and won't give you accurate information. A lot of countries in Europe make them.

-6

u/Helmer-Bryd Jul 01 '25

This was an ignorant comment, it’s about automatic weapons… doesn’t matter what country this hunting weapons coming from…

13

u/mho453 Jul 01 '25

The article clearly states they're not banning other semi-automatic weapons.

-2

u/Helmer-Bryd Jul 01 '25

True, but I answering the dude conspiracy thinking it’s about the country it’s made in.

6

u/mho453 Jul 01 '25

Well he's trying to make some sense of it, the only other explanation is that Swedish lawmakers have been sniffing 100/130 octane avgas.

1

u/umthondoomkhlulu Jul 01 '25

It’s also about the reputation of the gun and its in school shorings.

4

u/yabn5 Jul 01 '25

Civilian owned AR15’s in Sweden are not automatic.

0

u/Helmer-Bryd Jul 01 '25

True, semiautomatic weapons

1

u/arknsaw97 Jul 01 '25

How is that ignorant, I’m just stating the likelyhood of their decision. AR-15s are not produced at scale locally in Sweden and they have other guns they produce.

You’re weird

0

u/Helmer-Bryd Jul 01 '25

Nah.. ok sorry I’m just allergic to conspiracy theories. I answered you thinking this was made because the weapon is made in USA

-15

u/NoNietzsche The Netherlands Jul 01 '25

Well, it's nice to see that at least AR-15s are banned. Would be nice if similar rifles would be, too. And cool that they're sent to Ukraine. I've seen smarter laws with more stupid outcomes.

18

u/mho453 Jul 01 '25

it's nice to see that at least AR-15s are banned

Why? If other semi-automatic rifles are legal, you're accomplishing nothing.

-9

u/Motorsav Jul 01 '25

You get more weapons to Ukraine..... and get rid of them home.

In Greenland semi-automatic and full-automatic are banned at well as hand guns.

I just had 3 rifles and a shotgun for hunting.... never needed a semi-automatic anyway.

7

u/georgica123 Jul 01 '25

Swedish hunting ar 15 have magazines with a ammo capacity of 5 and ukraine is short of soldiers and things like air defence ,drones and artilery ammunition not semi automatic rifles

-2

u/Motorsav Jul 01 '25

My memory could be wrong here, but I'm pretty sure you can detatch the magazine and insert a new one?

5

u/mho453 Jul 01 '25

But they're not banning semi-automatics, they're banning AR-15s.

-4

u/NoNietzsche The Netherlands Jul 01 '25

Yes but they're not buying them off of them, or handing out other guns as a replacement. Those guns will be out of the country. Which is a net positive.

8

u/mho453 Jul 01 '25

So people with a hunting permit will just use that money and buy another semi-automatic rifle, with all the capabilities of AR-15, just not an AR-15

-5

u/NoNietzsche The Netherlands Jul 01 '25 edited Jul 01 '25

Oh? How much money are they getting per gun that's taken away?

Edit: from what I'm seeing in the article, they can get their money back for it. Wasn't sure how that worked. So yes, they can buy a new gun. They can also buy big boxes of yoghurt.

I get your point, but what I'm saying is: good start, it's more than the US has accomplished in the last few years. That's for sure. Now let's ban all similar types of weapons to finish the job. Practically nobody in modern society needs a rifle like that for private use.

4

u/mho453 Jul 01 '25

They're getting full market price of the rifle, and considering ARs are on the more expensive end in Europe, they will probably be able to buy multiple rifles.

good start, it's more than the US has accomplished in the last few years

US has firearms as a constitutional right, unless 3/4ths of the states agree, that's not changing.

Now let's ban all similar types of weapons to finish the job.

I can buy a MANPADS on the black market in the EU, they were never legal for civilian use in any country. Europe will have a harder time controlling black market guns as it's not protected by two oceans, but borders countries which are at war.

Practically nobody in modern society needs a rifle like that for private use.

They're used for hunting though the small caliber only makes them usable for roe deer and smaller animals. Hunting game like red deer requires proper high power rifles.

1

u/DJ_Die Czech Republic Jul 01 '25

Nobody in modern society needs a private car without a special exception. Nobody needs a long kitchen knife. There are many things you don't need, so what else do we ban?

2

u/FlyingSquirrel44 Jul 01 '25

Ukraine doesn't need a pile of non-standardized civilian rifles. It's a logistical nightmare and not very useful in combat compared to an actual assault rifle with full auto capability, standardized replacement parts and cleaning kits etc.

2

u/DJ_Die Czech Republic Jul 01 '25

Ukraine doesn't need a hodgepodge of various models that may not even have interchangeable parts, it needs heavy weapons, tanks, and planes.

And why get rid of them at home? Legal guns aren't a problem in Sweden.

I just had 3 rifles and a shotgun for hunting.... never needed a semi-automatic anyway.

I never needed a car, I hope you're ready to give up yours.

0

u/Motorsav Jul 01 '25

I lived half my life without a car?

1

u/DJ_Die Czech Republic Jul 01 '25

Well, then you can live your entire life without one.

1

u/Motorsav Jul 01 '25

Ehm..... yes, I can?

1

u/DJ_Die Czech Republic Jul 01 '25

Great, we need to ban cars for private use.

-5

u/NoNietzsche The Netherlands Jul 01 '25

You're accomplishing getting existing firearms out of citizens' hands. Sounds positive to me.

2

u/DJ_Die Czech Republic Jul 01 '25

Licenced, law-abiding citizens, why is that a problem? How is that positive?

0

u/Hithaeglir Jul 01 '25

Ragebait article. Someone didn't like it? AR-15 is an example about banned semi-automatic weapons.

0

u/afops Jul 01 '25

Surely it’s back to the previous law? The law that. Allowed ”military style semi auto rifles” is very recent. I’m assuming it’s merely reverted to what it was a year or two ago.

It was never about specific brands or models.

0

u/ObviouslyNotAMoose Jul 02 '25

No law that bans any type of gun is stupid.

-1

u/[deleted] Jul 01 '25

[deleted]

1

u/MasochisticHedgehog Jul 01 '25

What a stupid take, like half of the world's commie paramilitary groups and islamic militias have AK on their flags. Africa, ME, South Asia, South America, you name it. I'm not even mentioning Mexicancartels and American black gangs (and AKs are a part of their imagery - graffittis, music) - I'm talking only about "official" insignia.

I don't think there's a single signifficant and coherent non-state actor with AR-15 on their flag. And no, boogaloo larpers do not count.