PN MP Jason Azzopardi has questioned the Home Affairs Minister why Malta – considered to be a neutral country – has two rocket launchers registered.

Minister Carmelo Abela said that the information required by Dr Azzopardi would be given in another sitting.

The question to the minister came after a statistics tabled in parliament last month showed that a total of 96,425 firearms are registered in Malta, including 477 machine guns, three mortars and two rocket launchers.

The most popular firearms among Maltese, according to statistics, are shotguns, pistols, revolvers, rifles, air pistols and air rifles. Surprisingly enough, only one harpoon is registered in Malta.

But this is probably because harpoon guns were eliminated from the Arms Act Schedules meaning no licence or registration is required to acquire and/or possess them. The amendments to the Arms Act and the Arms Licensing Regulations had been published in the Malta Government Gazette in February 2013.