The legislative proposal aimed at tightening Belgium's gun legislation will undergo an accelerated debate following the Antwerp shooting incident on Thursday, the chairwoman of the parliament's justice commission said Friday.

Martine Taelman made the promise in response to an urgent request from Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt on Friday.

The prime minister called for a quick conclusion to the current discussion at the parliamentary justice commission about new firearm legislation, following Thursday's killings of a black woman and a white toddler by a 18-year-old with his newly-bought gun.

A third victim, a Turkish woman, is reported to be in a stable condition after undergoing surgery on Thursday evening.

Commission hearings over the legislative proposal were planned for May 25 and now have been brought forward to next Tuesday.

The proposal, drawn up by Justice Minister Laurette Onkelinx, intends to forbid the sale of firearms to anyone without a gun license and to impose a waiting period before people can take possession of a gun.

However, the union of hunting and sports gun manufacturers denies that the planned change in firearm legislation would have prevented Thursday's fatal shooting incident in the center of port city Antwerp.

Sport and hunting firearms can currently be bought over-the- counter by any adult with proof of identity.

The buyer's details have to be noted by the vendor and passed on to the police. The buyer is therefore not screened before purchasing a firearm.

Under the new proposed amendment, the screening process would have to be carried out before the issuing of a license, which would only be valid for five years.

Weapons will also be stamped with a serial number. This will, in turn, be registered on a central database.

Applicants for a license to hold firearms will also be required to provide a valid reason for owning such a weapon.

But the planned new legislation met objections from gun manufacturers, who argued that stricter regulations could stimulate black market.

The Union of Gun Manufacturers said that no present or future law about legal weapon possession will be able to prevent racist attacks. It dismissed the proposed new legislation as inadequate.

Anyone over 18, without a criminal record, will still be able to purchase a hunting or sport firearm under the new law, the union said.

Source: Xinhua