18Feb2015
A new draft law on weapons and ammunition
BELGRADE – A new draft law on weapons and ammunition will make the control of possession and transportation of weapons more efficient, which should in turn diminish weapons abuse of and increase the security of the Serbian citizens, Serbian Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic said Wednesday.
Presenting the draft law at an extraordinary parliamentary session, Stefanovic said that legal weapon owners would be permitted to possess weapons and use them for lawful purposes - for hunting, sport, self-defense and collections.
Stefanovic told the MPs that the new legislation, which will be aligned with EU directives, would tighten the requirements weapon owners had to meet.
In addition to the existing requirements, the new legislation proposal is introducing two new ones – a health requirement and a legitimate reason to possess a weapon, he said.
Stefanovic said that evidence of meeting the health criteria would have to be provided when submitting requests for procurement of weapons, and would also be required once every five years.
According to Stefanovic, the police is allowed to prohibit the possession of weapons whenever it may establish that there is a risk of misuse.
Stefanovic added that there was no clear record of illegally possessed weapons in Serbia, but the number was estimated to be somewhere between 200,000 and even 900,000.
“This difference in assessment alone is enough to show that a lot has to be done in the future to solve the problem,” the minister said in the parliament.
Also on the agenda of the extraordinary parliamentary session are amendments to the Law on Fire Protection.