Home defence weapons are efficient air weapons

The National Police Board considers the air guns Umarex T4E HDR 50 and Umarex T4E HDS 68 to be high-powered air guns, referred to in the Firearms Act. The position of the National Police Board applies to other similar weapons as well.

Designed and made for shooting metal spheres as well

According to the National Police Board, Umarex GmbH’s T4E category CO2 guns must be considered as high-powered air guns, because:

• the technical characteristics and structure of the guns are compatible for expelling not only heavy plastic and rubber spheres, but also metal spheres;
• other manufacturers and retailers sell not only plastic and rubber spheres but also metal spheres for the guns;
• the manufacturer has not specifically prohibited expelling of metal spheres with the guns they manufacture, and the expelling of metal spheres does not affect the warranty;
• on the basis of the information and user manuals issued by the manufacturer, these guns are designed and made for the purposes of self-defence or “home defence”;
• on the basis of advertisements and sales talk of the retailers selling these guns, the purposes for which these guns are sold in the consumer markets include self-defence, that is, causing injury to another person, by expelling not only rubber spheres but also metal bullets and ammunition (metal spheres).

High-powered air guns are subject to authorisation/notification

The Firearms Act applies also to high-powered air guns. A high-powered air gun is defined as an object which has been manufactured in 1950 or later with a minimum inside diameter of the barrel of more than 6.35 millimetres and which functions by the action of air pressure or the pressure of other compressed gas and which is designed and intended to expel metal bullets.  

According to the Firearms Act, the activities subject to authorisation include transfer and import to Finland, trade, acquisition, possession and manufacture of firearms. However, the acquisition and possession of a high-powered air gun is subject to submitting a notice, if the party acquiring or possessing it already has a right to possess a firearm.

The Firearms Act 1/1998 in Finlex (in Finnish only)

More information

National Police Board’s Firearms Administration asehallinto@poliisi.fi