(HELSINKI) - Finland on Thursday balked at an EU proposal to raise the legal age for firearm possession to 18, claiming the law would penalise teenaged hunters and sports shooters.

"If the EU were to restrict the opportunities for hunting for the young, this would give rise to highly emotional and strong reactions in Finland against the EU as a whole," Finnish Agricultural and Forestry Minister Sirkka-Liisa Anttila and Interior Minister Anne Holmund warned in a letter to the EU Portuguese presidency.

"Hunting is a popular leisure activity among young Finns," they wrote. "This has never caused any problems in Finland."

The legal age to carry firearms in Finland is currently 15.

Finland counts 300,000 hunters out of 5.3 million inhabitants, of which 35,000, or nearly six percent, are under 20, a European record according to the Finnish Hunting Federation.

Text and Picture Copyright 2007 AFP. All other Copyright 2007 EUbusiness Ltd. All rights reserved. This material is intended solely for personal use. Any other reproduction, publication or redistribution of this material without the written agreement of the copyright owner is strictly forbidden and any breach of copyright will be considered actionable.