Justified Need or Hysterical Fear of Terrorism on the Example of the EU’s Arrangements that Hinder Access to Firearms

Abstract

The Paris events recorded in November 2015 once again made people realize that Europe may also be the area of influence of contemporary terrorism. Individual countries and international organizations look for solutions that will improve security and thus reduce the risk of other attacks. One of the ways to reduce the potential risk of acts of terror is the imposition of restrictive regulations by the European Union regarding access to firearms and the sale of firearms. The article identifies contemporary terrorism as one of the most serious threats to international security. It presents and analyses formal, legal, and institutional solutions used in the fight against the phenomenon of terrorism. First, the analysis focuses on the solutions ap-plied by countries belonging to the United Nations Organization (UNO), and then the regula-tions adopted by the European Union. The rules governing the access to firearms by EU citi-zens, as well as the rules regarding the trade in firearms in the territory of the EU and the impact of these solutions on reducing the risk of terrorist attack, were analysed in detail.