New Rule to Stop Illegal Gun Trade and 3‑D Printed Firearms

EU Directive on Combating Firearms Trafficking (COM/2026/102)

Purpose
The EU wants to stop illegal guns and the crimes that come with them. The Directive will make it easier to investigate, prosecute and punish people who make, sell, move or use guns illegally, and will give Member States a common set of rules and penalties.

Why it matters

• Illicit guns fuel serious crime such as drug trafficking, robbery, gang violence and terrorism.
• Demand for guns is rising, and new technology (3‑D printing, CNC machines) makes it easier to produce guns at home.
• Existing EU rules only cover how guns can be bought and sold legally; they do not define or punish illegal behaviour.
• Member States differ a lot in how they criminalise firearms offences, which weakens cross‑border cooperation.

Key goals

1. Make it easier to investigate and prosecute firearms crimes.
2. Keep enforcement up‑to‑date with new technology.
3. Set clear, proportionate penalties for people and companies that break the law.
4. Improve data collection and cooperation between police, courts and EU agencies.

What the Directive does

• Defines four main crimes:
• Illicit manufacturing (including 3‑D printing).
• Illicit trafficking (moving guns across borders illegally).
• Falsifying or removing gun markings.
• Illicit possession of guns, parts or ammunition.
• Adds a new crime for creating, sharing or distributing blueprints that can be used to make guns.
• Requires a minimum prison term of 8 years for trafficking and manufacturing, 5 years for falsifying markings, 4 years for possession, and 2 years for blueprint offences.
• Gives Member States the power to add extra penalties (fines, loss of licences, etc.) and to set maximum fines up to 20 % of a company’s worldwide turnover or €10 million for the most serious offences.
• Creates a “National Firearms Focal Point” in each Member State to coordinate all firearms‑related work and share information.
• Requires a common data set for every seized gun, including make, model, serial number, date and place of seizure.
• Member States must report statistics on all firearms offences every five years and send data on seized guns to Europol each month.
• The Directive will be in force 20 days after it is published in the Official Journal.

Legal basis
Article 83(1) and (2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU – the EU can set minimum rules for serious cross‑border crimes such as firearms trafficking.

Implementation timeline

• Member States have 24 months after the Directive enters into force to transpose it into national law.
• The Commission will monitor compliance and publish a report every five years, starting eight years after the Directive takes effect.

Budget impact

• Member States will need extra staff to investigate and prosecute firearms crimes – estimated €4 million per year for five years.
• For forensic work on seized guns, about €0.6 million per year.
• Setting up National Firearms Focal Points costs €12 million, and harmonising data systems costs €10 million.
• The Commission will spend about €0.4 million on monitoring and reporting.
• Total additional EU budget needed: roughly €27 million over the first five years.

Digital and data requirements

• A digital system for collecting and sharing statistics on firearms offences.
• A minimum data set for seized guns that all Member States must use.
• Data will be shared with Europol and the Commission, and will be kept for at least 20 years.
• The Directive follows EU data‑protection rules and the European Data Strategy.

Expected outcomes

• Fewer illegal guns in the EU.
• Stronger cross‑border investigations and prosecutions.
• Better information for law‑enforcement and policymakers.
• A clearer, more consistent legal framework that protects EU citizens from gun‑related crime.