About the prospects of control over the circulation of civilian weapons
The statement of the President of Russia Vladimir Putin that the main task of the newly established National guard — to put under special control the circulation of weapons in the country, must have worried the owners of civilian weapons and market participants. Because in the past the authorities ‘ attention to this issue not just put a new “crackdown”.
That meant the President
“First and foremost, what is the basis for the decision, is put under special control the circulation of weapons in the country” — Putin has explained the reasons of creation of national guard during a straight line with citizens of Russia on April 14. The President did not explain what kind of weapons are we talking about legal or civil that is trafficking. This is what has caused gossip. It is known that the jurisdiction of the National guard transferred including the bodies involved in licensing and permitting work in terms of arms trafficking and the provision of private security services.
In addition, as recalled by the Executive Director of the Union of Russian gunsmiths Ruslan Pukhov, the state Duma is currently considering in its first reading a new variant of the law “About the weapon”. Make revisions as liberalization of the circulation of civilian weapons and tightening. In early April, the Chairman of the Duma Committee for security and combating corruption Irina Yarovaya and Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on defense and security Victor Ozerov has introduced a bill that, among other things, prohibits “the production of civil and service weapon from a fighting manual small arms, including of decommissioned”.
Mrs. Spring is known as the irreconcilable fighter with civilian weapons and have already initiated projects to strengthen guns laws. In 2014, the amendments made by Spring and her group of associates who have significantly tightened the rules for carrying weapons of limited destruction (PLO — the so-called beanbag round). For example, citizens have banned the wearing of the PLO on the territory of educational institutions, organizations, “designed for entertainment and leisure”, working at night and selling alcoholic beverages. Such limitations largely nullify the very idea of self-defense weapons.
Buyers of the weapons in the weapons shop “Royal hunt” in Chelyabinsk
Photo: Oleksandr Kondratyuk / RIA Novosti
Weapons fears, real and imaginary
The majority of respondents “Tape.ru” experts believe that the existing regulations and enforcement practices provide the necessary legal control over the circulation of civilian weapons. Statistics of crime with a registered weapon also speaks in favor of the effectiveness of the current system. Chairman of the Board of the all-Russian public organization “Right to arms” Igor Shmelev, referring to the interior Ministry, cited the following figures: on January 1, 2016 registered more than 4.44 million official firearms owners; they hold is about 6.6 million barrels, including weapons of limited destruction. Thus for the year 2015 with a registered weapon there were only 589 of the crimes. “It is only 0,013% of those gun owners, or 0,009% of the number of units of weapons. With the beanbag round is performed 0.016 per cent of offences to the number of units of the traumatic weapon. In fact, the use of legal weapons in the Commission of crimes within statistical error”.
Most of these crimes are not looting and killing, and poaching. Plus the peculiarities of the Russian law enforcement practice: as noted by the attorneys involved samooborone cases in 90-95 percent of cases of self-defense if the attacker was killed or wounded, against the defenders put the case on a “heavy” article “premeditated murder”, “intentional infliction of grievous bodily harm that caused death” or “intentional infliction of grievous bodily harm”.
With the use of illegal weapons during the same period was about 6.5 thousand crimes. The real criminals prohibitive measures will not stop, especially when there are some problem areas, where it can do an illegal weapon. One of them is the area of the civil conflict in the Donbass. “Weapons there is a lot, the border is transparent, so all who aim, from there the arms “pull” — says Ruslan Pukhov. — The second source — zone counter-terrorism operations in the North Caucasus, there are also a lot of weapons. Finally, Afghanistan, which has transparent borders with the countries of Central Asia, through which illegal weapons can be supplied to Russia”.
Militias at the roadblock on the stretch of highway “Mahmuda”
Photo: Stanislav Krasilnikov / TASS
The President of the national strategy Institute, political scientist Mikhail Remizov recalls that in some areas of the North Caucasus according to the firearms (including illegal) is an informal norm, which often prevails over law. “To change this situation, obviously, will require power backup at the level of the National guard, says the analyst. — Given the high conflict potential in some republics of the North Caucasus, concerns about the wide distribution of firearms in these regions may well be justified.”
Control does not mean ban
It is noteworthy that the proponents of civilian weapons, like his opponents, believe that the current system for control over the circulation and storage requires correction. First and foremost gun lobby advocates the abolition of the so-called “five year limit”: the current legislation enables citizens to acquire long-barreled rifled weapons only after five years of owning a smoothbore.
The second often mentioned point — the rules of acquisition of weapons. Now to buy each unit need a separate license. Igor Shmelev “Right to arms” finds such regulation is unnecessarily complex: “it is Not necessary to overload the licensing system, no need for each weapon every time to collect the required documents three times to run to the police”. In his opinion, once issued the license should be enough to buy the permitted number of trunks — with their subsequent registration in the relevant bodies.
A contentious issue is the non-lethal weapons — even gun lobby many supporters of prohibition. The fact that many owners travmatiki perceive it as fake weapon, a kind of “weapons for fighting” — hence the unjustified use.
Traumatic gun in one of the gun shops
Photo: Thank Alahov / TASS
But possible ban on the production of civilian weapons from military experts believe unfounded. Today, most rifle assortment the largest Russian manufacturers — concern “Kalashnikov” and LTD. “Molot-Guns” — rifles and machine-based and hand-held Kalashnikov machine gun (mark “saiga” and “Vepr”), as well as models based on the Dragunov sniper rifle — carbines “Tiger”.
“As soon as we’re changing things in production for the DoD, we begin to develop a similar civilian version”, — commented, “the Ribbon.ru” production policy of the concern “Kalashnikov” marketing Director of the company Vladimir Dmitriev.
A significant source of income for Russian gunsmiths “ograzhdeniya” old military samples army warehouses: modified under the norms of civilian weapons the AK and AKM, released in 50-70 years, and PPSH, Tokarev rifle (SVT), machine guns Degtyareva (RPD) and “Maxims”, lying since the great Patriotic war. Last year, the plant “Molot” has been put on the market models on the basis of the SKS carbine (HPE 208) and AKM (HPE 209) with smooth-bore guns under 366 TCM cartridge, specially designed by CJSC “Techkrim”.
Such a weapon does not have any combat advantages over conventional “Sagami” and “Boar”, and criminal use of “grajdanina” from the RAP and “Maxim” in General is extremely difficult because of its weight and size.
However, Ruslan Pukhov from the Union of the Russian armourers believes that it is still too early to draw any conclusions: while the amendments are being made, is the joint work of experts and deputies.
