BELGIUM: ALARM GUNS The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6. G/TBT/Notif. 96.223. 1. Member to Agreement notifying: BELGIUM. If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2): Belgium. 2. Agency responsible: Ministry of Justice, Criminal Legislation and Human Rights, Weapons Service, Boulevard Waterloo 115, 1000 Brussels. Agency or authority designated to handle comments regarding the notification can be indicated if different from above. 3. Notified under Article 2.9.2. 4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff heading. ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable): Alarm guns. 5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document: Royal Order for the Classification of Certain Alarm Guns as Weapons of Defense. 6. Description of content: Alarm guns capable of firing projectiles of any kind, or capable of being converted to that purpose, are classified as weapons of defense, on the same basis as under the earlier order of 1959. Prior authorization is required for the acquisition of such weapons. Alarm guns not suited to the above-mentioned purpose and incapable of being converted thereto continue to be saleable on the free market. Non-suitability must be determined for each model by means of an official type-approval procedure. The technical procedure had not been laid down in 1959. Type-approval in Belgium must be carried out by the Firearms Test Facility. Equivalent foreign type-approval certificates are also valid. Models currently on the market must be submitted for type-approval purposes by the manufacturers or importers within a period of six months. Existing cases of private possession will be subject to regularization. 7. Objective and rationale: Optimum safeguards for public order and safety, more precise definition of a long-established principle and implementation of a provision on the subject contained in Directive 91/477/EEC of 18 June 1991 on control of the acquisition and possession of weapons. Replacement of the Order dated 11 January 1995, the provisions of which are invalid on account of non-compliance with Directive 83/189/EEC. 8. Relevant documents: The Weapons Act and the most recent implementing decision pursuant thereto, adopted on 20 September 1991, were recently communicated, on 29 May 1996, in connection with the notification of the Royal Order Defining the Security Requirements Applicable to the Stocking, Storing and Collection of Firearms and Ammunition (the notification number is not yet known). The content of the Order dated 11 January 1995 differs in no respect from the content of the current text; only the ``Community provisions'' are new. 9. Proposed date of adoption - Proposed date of entry into force: 60 days. 10. Final date for comments: N/A. 11. Texts available from: National inquiry point (X) or address and telefax number of other body: CIBELNOR. (214)

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