Italy’s right-wing parties have welcomed a measure authorising the sale of military grade munitions to civilians, overturning a 1975 law that restricted their use to police and members of the armed forces.
An amendment proposed by the hard-right opposition party Brothers of Italy authorises the civilian use of 9x19mm bullets for semi-automatic pistols. Giovanbattista Fazzolari, the Brothers of Italy senator who proposed the change, said it brought Italy into line with European legislation and would be welcomed by private security guards, gun collectors and sportsmen.
The parabellum bullets have greater penetrating power than alternatives and can increase the risk of injury from ricochets if fired in an enclosed space. Their liberalisation feeds into a debate on a citizen’s right to self-defence, one of the hobby