Dutch Government Might Question Religion Before Giving Gun License

The Dutch government intends to introduce amendments to legislation requiring those requesting arms licenses to provide information about their religion, ethnic origin, political views and philosophical convictions, the Volkskrant newspaper reports with reference to the House of Representatives of Parliament and its own sources.

According to the publication, the amendments will be submit for consideration next month. The changes are related to a new EU directive on obtaining the right to own weapons, which was proposed after the terrorist attacks in Paris in 2015.

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Proponents of the bill in the Netherlands believe that information is necessary to understand "risk factors" when issuing licenses. However, some parties, in particular, the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) and the Democrats 66 (D66), have declared that stricter requirements violate the right to privacy and are not necessary.

"According to the minimum requirements of the European Directive, this is not necessary. We do not promote discrimination and ethnic profiling," MP Monique den Bur said.

According to the newspaper, the Dutch police provides about 70,000 weapon licenses per year.