Thousands of unregistered firearms

There are approximately 73 thousand firearms registered in Iceland in a country with a population of roughly 325 thousand. In addition to that the police believe around 30 thousand unregistered firearms are circulating in the country.

These unregistered weapons includes machine guns as well as AK-47 assault rifles, the same weapon used in the attack on the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris, France, last week, which the police believe were acquired from Russian trawlers. This also includes powerful rifles with large caliber. Many of the weapons, including shotguns, are furthermore believed to have been modified by their owners.

The police have very limited information about these unregistered firearms according to an article in the most recent issue of Lögreglublaðið (The Police Magazine) written by the police officer Runólfur Þórhallsson. "These are powerful weapons which can cause much damage in a short period of time," he writes. The article was, however, not written as a result of the attack in Paris but because of recent debate in Iceland whether the police should renew and expand their arsenal of firearms.

Last autumn the Icelandic media reported that the Icelandic Coast Guard had acquired 250 MP5 submachine guns from the Norwegian military.

The police was supposed to get 150 of those firearms. But mainly due to a popular opposition the authorities decided to return the weapons to Norway. They have, however, not been returned yet.

Vital to renew and expand the police's arsenal

The police have nevertheless stressed that renewing and expanding their arsenal is necessary. Regardless of that the Icelandic police have had access to automatic weapons for decades and their arsenal today already includes among other modern weapons a number of MP5 submachine guns.

Þórhallsson says in his article that Icelandic police officers have no desire to carry firearms on daily basis and share the view of ordinary citizens that they shouldn't. However, it must be guaranteed that the police has access to firearms in emergencies in a way best suited to the needs of police officers and the citizens. He goes on stressing that it is in the interests of the general public that the police has the necessary equipment and knowledge to react to such circumstances.

"Terrorist attacks and mass murders have repeatedly occurred in our neighbouring countries. Icelanders tend to think nothing bad can happen in Iceland along with a tendency to act as things are not as serious as they really are. The police on the other hand are worried that such events could possible happen here. [...] How unlikely it may be that such circumstances occur in Iceland is secondary. It is a possibility, however small it may be, and the police have to be able to react to that in a suitable manner."

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