How strict are gun laws in Belgium?
Licensed / moderate
Handguns can be licensed for sport, hunting or collecting, but personal protection alone is not a sufficient reason.
Belgium is one of 37 countries classified “Licensed / moderate” for civilian gun ownership — 18% of the 202 with data. (Also searched as firearm laws.)
Source
- Last checked
- 17 September 2026
- How it was classified
- Read directly from the source’s own table, without interpretation.
Nearby countries
- Luxembourg
- Licensed / moderate Handguns can be licensed for sport, hunting or collecting, but personal protection alone is not a sufficient reason.
- Netherlands
- Restrictive The Netherlands does not accept personal protection as a reason for firearm ownership, limiting licenses to hunting and target shooting.
- France
- Licensed / moderate Handguns can be licensed for sport, hunting or collecting, but personal protection alone is not a sufficient reason.
- Germany
- Licensed / moderate Handguns can be licensed for sport, hunting or collecting, but personal protection alone is not a sufficient reason.
- Switzerland
- Licensed / moderate Handguns can be licensed for sport, hunting or collecting, but personal protection alone is not a sufficient reason.
- United Kingdom
- Highly restrictive / banned Civilians cannot obtain handguns.
Other laws in Belgium
- Death Penalty
- Fully abolished
- Military Conscription
- No conscription
- Jury Trials
- Limited use / mixed courts
Every law in Belgium → · How strict are gun laws around the world? →
A visual reference compiled from Wikipedia’s law-by-country articles, not legal advice. Laws change and summaries simplify — check a primary source before relying on anything here.