The state will not let private companies train citizens on how to properly use firearms and remains of the view that such training can only be provided by the Police Academy. This follows from the response of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP) to comments sent to the department on the Draft Law on Weapons and Ammunition, which was subject to public debate from January 24 to February 24.
Those interested, among other things, stated that the provision that the Police Academy does this is "discriminatory and monopolistic" regarding Article 113, which refers to this type of training.
"This excludes the possibility of legal entities that have a decision from the competent authority approving the activity being carried out. This prevents the work of registered legal entities that carry out this activity," Jelena Nišavić said in a comment, adding that "it is necessary to prescribe the conditions that these legal entities must meet, both in terms of staff and equipment, and the withdrawal of approval."
As she stated, the Ministry of Interior should more closely prescribe the program, conditions and method of conducting training in handling firearms, not the Minister of Education.
The department headed by Danilo Šaranović did not accept this suggestion:
"Given that the procedure for approving weapons documents in the Ministry of Internal Affairs will be centralized, we are of the opinion that proof or certificate that someone has the skills to properly handle weapons should be issued by a state body at the central level that has the technical and personnel capacities to conduct professional and specialist training and that has appropriate programs to provide the conditions for their implementation, which is the Public Institution Police Academy in Danilovgrad."
The Ministry of Internal Affairs has accepted a suggestion to adjust the age limit for weapons acquisition permits. The draft stipulates that it will be 25 years for citizens, 18 for members of the military, police, security guards and other persons, and 21 years for hunters and athletes.
To the suggestion of the company "Energogroup" from Danilovgrad that all age limits should be lowered to 18 years, the Ministry of Internal Affairs responded positively and accepted the proposal.
The same company commented on the article relating to medical certificates, for which the Ministry of Interior announced in the explanation of the Draft that it plans to establish a commission of the Ministry of Health for psychological checks, "which will be the only one competent for issuing medical certificates for possession of weapons, and to continuously conduct psychological and psychiatric assessments, i.e. a comprehensive assessment of the applicant's health condition."
The proposal of "Energogroup" is to replace the term "commission" with "health institution" and, in view of the announced rulebook, the Minister of Internal Affairs should prescribe more detailed conditions that a health institution would have to meet to issue medical certificates.
The Ministry of Interior accepted the proposal:
"The article of the draft law will be corrected in accordance with the opinion of the Ministry of Health, which basically prescribes a two-tier system in the actions of competent state health institutions. Namely, the Ministry of Health is of the opinion that these tasks should be performed by health institutions founded by the state, and that this should be limited to a smaller number of institutions. Therefore, they propose that health capacity should be determined by a commission established by the health institution, and that these should be health centers located in three regions," they state in their response.
They also add that the health department believes that a two-tier decision-making process should be prescribed in the process of determining medical fitness.
"When a citizen is not satisfied with the decision of the health center commission, prescribe the possibility of submitting a complaint, which would be decided by a commission formed by the local community, at the expense of that person, with the local community prescribing the composition of this commission in more detail."
The proposal to prescribe an exception and, when it comes to personal safety, to allow the carrying of weapons in public places was not accepted.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs was also suggested to significantly reduce the proposed fines, in accordance with, as stated, "the real economic power and standards of both citizens and businessmen in the country."
Thus, among other things, it was proposed that a legal entity that fails to return an unused weapon acquisition permit within the prescribed period be fined 500 euros instead of 50, or that a natural person who fails to submit a request for a weapons license for possession, or possession and carrying of weapons, within the prescribed period from the date of acquisition, be fined 100 to 1.000 euros instead of 10 to 100.
The Ministry of Interior did not accept these proposals, and in response to each of them, they stated that the provisions were in accordance with the Law on Misdemeanors, and that all penal provisions would be defined in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Finance.
Danilo Šaranović's department also accepted the suggestion to correct the article of the Draft relating to the use of weapons at civilian shooting ranges, so that, in addition to individuals engaged in recreational shooting, minors will also be able to use weapons at civilian shooting ranges under the supervision of a professional, as an exception.
The proponents are of the opinion that this would also enable persons who do not have a weapons license, but want to come to a civilian shooting range for the first time and engage in recreational sports or hunting shooting, or recreational shooting, to exercise their personal rights at a civilian shooting range in accordance with the law.
The Ministry of Interior also accepted the proposal to delete paragraphs 2, 3 and 4 from Article 14 - Registration of Weapons, according to which the prescribed categories of weapons cannot be registered unless the weapon has been tested, stamped and marked.
"These provisions of the law are obviously 'set up' to confiscate weapons from the citizens of Montenegro, as well as so that someone would profit from the branding of weapons, because in our country there are no regulations and laws that define branding and marking... as well as CIP-ing of weapons, and they are not necessary and are also an additional financial burden on citizens... Also, according to EU standards and laws, no law can be implemented retroactively and weapons that could be registered until now, suddenly can no longer be registered," is the remark made by Zoran Ćorac, Miloš Golubović, the Defensive Shooting Club "Štit" and the Shooting Club "Zajcev" from Berane.
The suggestion was also accepted that Article 25, which stipulates that the authorization for the acquisition of weapons and the authorization for the acquisition of major weapon parts is valid for six months, without the possibility of extension for another six months, be amended so that the extension is enabled for the acquisition exclusively for the import of weapons from EU member states.
The Ministry of Interior previously announced that it is not necessary to provide additional funds in the Montenegrin budget for the implementation of this law.
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