Hans Teeuwen "pistol" was an air gun, as expected by AmmoLand

Link to video of arrival of the police and the original comedy skit.

On March 12, 2024, Dutch absurdist comedian Hans Teeuwen posted a video mocking the mayor of Amsterdam, Femke Halsema.  As part of the video, a vaguely pistol looking object was on a table, at the edge of the screen, next to him.

Three hours later, the police were at his door. The came in and confiscated the object, which was still on the table. AmmoLand covered the story. In the AmmoLand article, this correspondent noted the object was most likely a Webley air pistol.

Image of a Webley air pistol from the author's collection. Notice the rear sight on the object close to Teeuwen. The rear sight is distinctive.

Coverage of the incident continues in the Netherlands. Nos.nl confirms the object was an air pistol. From nos.nl as translated by deepl.com:

Amsterdam police stopped by the home of comedian Hans Teeuwen to take an air pistol. Teeuwen had used the weapon for a persiflage (bantering) film of Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema. The air pistol, which bears resemblance to a real gun, appears to be a reference to the firearms affair involving her ex-husband Robert Oey and their son.

Air pistols are legal and for sale in the Netherlands.It appears a person has to be 18 years old to purchase one. Replicas of real firearms are much more highly regulated. Some of the air pistols for sale in shops in the Netherlands appear to look more like an actual firearm than the old Webley design.  It may take a court case to determine if the old Webley design too closely resembles an actual firearm to be legal in the Netherlands. Hans Teeuwen indicated he did not expect the case to drag out over a long period. From nos.nl:

According to him, it was an old gun, which he says he doesn't even remember how it works. "So this was a parody of the case about banned gun ownership that was going on around the mayor, and two hours later the police are on the sidewalk. That's incredibly stupid. Especially after Sunday," said Teeuwen, referring to the opening of the Holocaust Museum in Amsterdam, which was partially disrupted by shouting and yelling protesters. Halsema received both criticism and acclaim after that demonstration.

This correspondent is not certain the case will be handled quickly in favor of Teeuwen. Weapons bans tend to become stricter and stricter over time. It seems governments who ban the common ownership of weapons by their subjects often do not like for them to think positively about weapons ownership.  Consider the mindset of government officials who believe the mere ownership of something that looks like a gun should be forbidden, or at least, very highly regulated.

This is not about control of weapons. It is about control of thoughts. Good luck to Hans Teeuwen on his upcoming court case.  Perhaps the judge will throw it out, based on a simple reading of the law.

A message has been sent. Mock the Mayor, and police may show up on your doorstep in a few hours.

©2024 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

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