The Belgian weapons law distinguishes between different situations with regard to the possession of weapons. According to the law, there are some absolutely forbidden weapons, of which any possession, trade, purchase and/or transport is forbidden. The following weapons are always forbidden: mines, firearms, military weapons, jumping knives, butterfly knives, folding knives, punching clubs, truncheons, current weapons (tasers), throwing knives, nunchakus, automatic rifles, rifles with silencers. All firearms that are not prohibited always require a licence. Exceptions are weapons with folkloric, historical or decorative value. All other firearms are only allowed without a licence if they have been rendered unusable. The fact that a weapon is not prohibited does not mean that you can always carry it around. Anyone who carries a freely available firearm must have a valid reason for doing so. For example, a fishing knife is not prohibited, but you may only carry it when you go fishing. Going to a café with a fishing knife, although not a prohibited weapon, is prohibited weapon possession. It is therefore forbidden to walk around with knives, baseball bats and/or implements that can be used as weapons (hammer, axe, ...) without any valid reason. For more information on this crime, a concrete punishment and/or advice tailored to your needs, contact our criminal lawyers at [email protected].