The mass murder in Cetinje, when the attacker killed 10 people, once again raised the question of the availability of firearms in the Balkans, where 90 percent of their weapons are in the hands of citizens.
It is estimated that the citizens in the region have nine times more weapons than the army and the police, and in terms of the number of weapons per capita, Serbia and Montenegro lead the way. she pointed global Small Arms Survey (Small Arms Survey) of 2018..
It is estimated that there are 100 weapons per 30 inhabitants, while in Serbia and Montenegro there are 100 pieces of light weapons per 40 inhabitants.
"Political and socio-economic instability in the Balkans in the last 30 years and frequent daily political threats of a new war have led to the fact that many citizens are not ready to give up their weapons, but keep them God forbid", says Predrag Petrović, director of research at the Belgrade Center for Security Policy (BCBP).
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Despite efforts to reduce the amount of weapons, there are still "too many" of them in the countries of the Western Balkans. evaluate BCBP researchers.
It is estimated that between 500 thousand and 1.6 million households own firearms, more illegal than legal.
America is the first in the world in terms of the amount of weapons per capita, 120 weapons per 100 inhabitants, according to the survey.
'Significant security risk'
The amount of weapons in the countries of the region, especially illegal ones, represents a "significant security risk", assesses Petković.
"The very fact that someone owns a weapon is a risk, and whether they will use it depends on the circumstances," he adds.
As he reminds, research shows that "illegal firearms lead the way" in murders.
According to Montenegrin media, the attacker from Cetinje had a license for firearms.
However, it is currently unknown whether it was valid or expired.
The status of the weapon that was used against the attacker by a fellow citizen who tried to stop him is not known either. which is why some consider him a hero.
Prema data from 2015, in Montenegro more than 80.000 people received a permit to keep weapons, but in more than two-thirds of the cases it has expired.
Petković says that there are only estimates about the amount of illegal weapons in Serbia, ranging from 200.000 to over a million pieces.
"These are weapons left over not only from the wars of the 20s in the former Yugoslavia, but from various armed conflicts that took place in this region throughout the XNUMXth century," he explains.
During the previous years, the Ministries of Internal Affairs in both Serbia and Montenegro have repeatedly initiated actions in which they appealed to citizens to surrender unregistered weapons.
Petković reminds that during the actions, citizens can do so "without any consequences".
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As he adds, the most successful campaign of this kind in Serbia was after the police action in Saber in 2003, when citizens handed over "about 50.000 weapons".
It was a police operation to find and arrest suspects for the assassination of Prime Minister Zoran Đinđić, as well as others who were suspected of being members of criminal clans.
"All later actions were of a much smaller range - only a few thousand were handed over," Petković points out.
He also states that research shows that "a large number of citizens do not want to give up their weapons".
"In addition to political instability, the culture of machismo also contributes to this, because weapons are considered a kind of status symbol," he says.
How many guns are there on average in region
It is estimated that in Bosnia and Herzegovina, for every 100 inhabitants there are 31 weapons - illegal and legal together.
In North Macedonia there are 30 pieces per 100 inhabitants, and in Kosovo that number is 24 per 100 inhabitants.
In Croatia and Albania, there are many times fewer weapons per capita.
In Croatia, it is 2 pieces per 100 inhabitants, and in Albania it is 1.5 pieces per 100 people.
Sources: Small arms survey i World Population Review
Who can get permission for fiery weapon?
U in Serbia i in Montenegro in 2015, new laws on weapons were passed, with the idea of introducing more effective control of possession and traffic.
"The legal framework is good because it is necessary to meet really strict conditions for obtaining a permit," says Petković.
In both countries, a requirement was then introduced that anyone who wanted to own a weapon had to prove that they had a valid reason for doing so, while previously a medical assessment was sufficient.
"One of the justified reasons can be personal safety, with the fact that citizens have to prove to the police that their safety can be threatened," he adds.
"However, the practice of the MUP is not uniform - we know that in some police stations citizens were refused, while in others they obtained permits without any problems," he says.
Also, when applying, it is necessary to attach a medical report.
When the competent authorities issue a license for weapons, the Ministry of Internal Affairs notifies the selected doctor, who has a legal obligation to continue monitoring the weapon holder, as well as to report any relevant changes in the state of health.
"However, there is no universal system of information exchange, and since a large number of citizens are treated privately, the chosen doctor in the state institution usually has no insight if there are changes," says Petrović.
In both Montenegro and Serbia, weapons and ammunition can be purchased and held by anyone over the age of 18, if they receive approval from the competent authorities for the acquisition and possession of weapons.
With the fulfillment of additional conditions, it is possible to obtain a permit to carry weapons.
'Modest ranges': What is being done to reduce the amount of illegal weapons?
At the Summit on the Western Balkans, which was held in London in 2018, a road map was adopted to solve the illegal possession, abuse and smuggling of light and small arms.
The authors of the map are institutions from the region under the auspices of the German Federal Office for Foreign Affairs and the Center for the Control of Small Arms in Southeast Europe (SEESAC) with the coordination of Great Britain, France and the European Commission.
"The aim of the map is to improve the legal framework, harmonize it with the European legal framework and reduce the number of weapons, as well as to limit illegal flows," explains Petković.
However, as he assesses, the ranges of the map are "modest".
"Since it was adopted, no significant reduction in the amount of weapons has been recorded, and in Serbia in recent years there have been no new calls for the surrender of unregistered weapons," he reminds.
The pandemic increased the danger of citizens who legally held weapons slipping into the illegal zone, because it slowed down administrative processes, says Petković.
Among other things, it slowed down the process of issuing biometric documents for those who keep and carry weapons, which was foreseen by the 2015 law.
That's why Serbia is in February 2022 once again amended the Law on Weapons, extending the deadline for the exchange of documents, weapons certificates, permits to carry weapons for personal security and authorizations to keep weapons.
The deadline for replacing documents issued under the previously valid law has been extended for an additional two years, i.e. until March 5, 2024.
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