Guns are capable of harmful and fatal consequences;and gun laws are quite stringent in Sweden. To be a gun owner requires a license, and this is tightly controlled by regulations. A potential gun owner needs to meet requirements to be granted a license. Various forms of self-defence weapons or deadly weapons such as pepper-spray to full-automatic machine guns are technically legal. However, most licenses for gun ownership are for hunters, as wild life hunting is highly in vogue in this country.

The weapons law is not applied to air guns and similar weapons with a projectile energy less than 10 joules at the end of barrel. Such minor weapons do not require a license and are available for purchase by anyone over the age of 18 years. This is also relevant for breech-loading rifles manufactured prior to 1890.

To apply and obtain a gun license, the perspective gun owner approaches the local police. The applicant must be in good standing and at least 18 years old. There may be exceptions for a younger aged applicant to be granted a license. The applicant must be a member of an approved shooting club for at least six months or have passed a hunting examination (jägarexamen). Being a member of a shooting club is the most utilized route to legally acquire pistols for sport shooting, while passing a hunting exam, is for hunting rifles. Note: a gun registered for sport shooting may not be used in hunting. However a licensed gun user is allowed to hunt without passing a hunting exam, if you are chaperoned (accompanied and guided) by someone that has passed that exam.