00:00The possession, manufacture and trafficking of illicit firearms could soon carry prison sentences ranging from two to eight years across
00:09the entire European Union under a new proposal unveiled by the European Commission on Thursday.
00:15The draft text plans to harmonize how firearms related offenses are defined and punished across the member states.
00:23It argues that the divergent national rules have created loopholes that criminal networks exploit when operating across borders.
00:32The creation, acquisition, possession or dissemination of 3D printed firearm blueprint would for instance carry a maximum prison sentence of
00:41at least two years.
00:43The possession of illicit firearms carry a five-year jail term, while trafficking and manufacturing offenses would be punishable by
00:51eight years behind bars.
00:53According to the Commission, some 620,000 firearms are currently lost or stolen across the EU, fueling terrorism, organized crime
01:03and gang violence.
01:04About 1,300 lives are stolen annually by firearms violence across the 27 member states.
01:11The inclusion of 3D printing blueprints reflects growing concern among security officials that digital files can be shared and reproduced
01:21with relative ease, enabling the covert production of untraceable weapons.
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