July 2024 – The European Association of the Civil Commerce of Weapons

Constructive exchange with MEP Christine Schneider (EPP)

Another stop on the constituency campaign tour took us on the 26th of July to the beautiful district town of Bad Dürkheim in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, to meet with German EPP-MEP Christine Schneider.
We visited one of the town’s oldest craft businesses, Waffen Walther. This traditional company was founded in 1815. The current owner and master gunsmith Patrick Fell-Rathmacher took over the business from the Walther family in 2002.

At EU level, Mrs Schneider focuses on agriculture, forestry and the environment. Following her re-election in June 2024, she became Parliamentary Secretary of the German CDU/CSU group in the European Parliament.
After welcoming us, Mr Fell-Rathmacher gave Mrs Schneider a tour of the shop. We then used the premises of his hunting school to talk to her about current issues such as the Firearms Regulation, the Firearms Directive and ‘lead in ammunition’. Over the past years, the AECAC has been in close contact with MEP Schneider on these issues.

The MEP has been a passionate hunter herself for over 20 years and is very familiar with the debate on European and national firearms legislation. She emphasised that close contact with Brussels is essential, as laws are made there that must be transposed into national law by the member states.

A sense of proportion is particularly important when it comes to implementation. “Over-regulation and unnecessary bureaucracy only hinder the authorities and do not lead to any real increase in safety”, says Schneider. “Legal gun owners and innocent citizens should not be placed under general suspicion”, she continues.

Now that her party-colleague Ursula von der Leyen has been re-elected President of the European Commission, personnel decisions are being made in Brussels and responsibilities are being allocated. As soon as this has happened, it will be necessary to closely monitor how the issues that were not finalised during the last legislative period are dealt with.

We would like to thank MEP Schneider for her time, the intensive discussion and her offer to continue exchanging ideas.

Picture from left to right: Kai Hauck (Waffenbau Hauck), Peter Braß (VDB), Christine Schneider (MEP) and Patrick-Fell-Rathmacher (Waffen Walther)

Constituency campaign with MEP Norbert Lins at Lake Constance

News, Press Releases / Peter Brass / 2024-07-12

After the European elections and while the EU institutions reshuffle their political personnel, we take the opportunity to meet members of parliament in their constituencies. On 12th July, AECAC Secretary General Peter Brass met with MEP Norbert Lins (EPP).
The focus was on setting the course for European policy after the elections in June and the debates on EU firearms legislation and the impending lead ban.

Our exchange with Mr Lins, who chaired the influential Committee on Agriculture in the European Parliament during the last legislative period, took place in one of the most beautiful spots in Germany, at Lake Constance.

Picture from left to right: MEP Norbert Lins, Peter Brass

Lins reported on the preparations to secure the necessary majority for his party colleague Ursula von der Leyen in the European Parliament in mid-July. In view of the election results, talks with various political groups were necessary in order to finalise this important personnel matter before the summer break in Brussels.

The MEP confirmed that the Commission has still not presented its proposal to ban leaded ammunition. However, this is expected in the coming weeks. The rules, transitional periods and requirements would then have to be analyzed in detail. The parliament in Strasbourg and the member states will then have to approve the proposals. Important personnel decisions are currently being made in the European Parliament: Who will take on which office?
Who will sit on which committee?

Norbert Lins strongly advised us to seek dialogue with the new MEPs at an early stage. Peter Brass was able to reassure the MEP: The AECAC will be back in Brussels, the political capital of Europe, for talks in September. One key reason: The European Firearms Directive is to be evaluated as early as next year – possible new legislative proposals from Brussels could then quickly be on the agenda.

‘It is not unlikely that we will see a parliamentary debate on firearms legislation in Brussels and Strasbourg soon, which makes exchanges such as today’s with Mr Lins, whom I would like to thank warmly for the discussion, all the more important,’ said Peter Brass, summarizing the afternoon at Lake Constance.

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