Over 700 citizens apply for legalisation of weapons, 291 of them accepted

After that period, illegal weapons will be confiscated and the penalty for illegal possession may be fined but even in prison.

At an Interior Affairs Ministry conference on the legalisation process of weapons, it became known that the last 4 months over 700 citizens have used the possibility of exposing legalisation requirements, while nearly 300 of them have received MPB's consent for legalisation.

Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Ilmi Zeka said that with this initiative, Kosovo citizens are allowed to respect order and law. It has called on citizens to continue exploiting this opportunity, even for two months, because after that possession of illegal weapons will be fined, but also imprisonment for up to 10 years.

He announced how many people have received MPB's consent for legalisation.

Over the past four months, 723 citizens have exploited this opportunity and submitted demands for legalisation. 291 have received consent on the MPB and today I will hand over over 10 consents at the end of this” meeting, Zeka said.

Zeka said that since the launch of weapons law enforcement, the number of armed incidents with legal possession has declined.

The aim of this initiative is to enable citizens to legally possess a weapon under the terms of the weapons law which is harmonised with the EU fire weapons directives. Since law enforcement began, few incidents have taken place with legitimate possession weapons. Most of them have happened with weapons possession of weapons illegally, and over 20 people have lost their lives”, Zeka said.

While in the quality of the Kosovo Police Public Security Division director Gazmend Hoxha, the campaign for legalisation of weapons so far is successful and that the number of apps is not to be ignored.

The number of citizens applied for the legalisation of weapons is not to be ignored. So far we have 659 citizen apps all over Kosovo. From Pristina region 179 apps, the 109 apps region, and Prizren with the remaining 106 are slightly smaller. A total of these 289 gun apps, 228 hunting applications and 132 for caribly-type rifles. While other automatic and semiautomatic rifles are 4 and 6 apps are combined with air rifles and other”, Hoxha said.

Valbona Bogujevci, UNDP co-ordinator, said in May 2018 The United Nations announced the new disarmament agenda called Security of the Common Future, which describes a series of practical measures across the entire range of c'armatisation, including mass and conventional weapons of destruction. This, according to it, scatters joint efforts for peace and security.

Bogujevci has praised Kosovo institutions that were among the first in the region to adopt the strategy and action plan for small and small arms.

“congratulates institutions in Kosovo, because you were the first in the region to change and adopt strategy, as well as the plan for relevant weapons of light and small action and to hold the first co-ordination meeting in the region following the adoption of the” action plan, Boguyevci said.

One of the weapons legalists, Shefek Surdulil, who is also passionate about hunting, said illegal possession of the weapon poses a very dimensional threat, while legalisation creates great opportunities for both the weapon holder and his family. He encouraged citizens to follow his example.

He has indicated application procedures.

I just did this once the legalization was started. It's a simple and easy procedure. I submitted to the police station in Gjilan I applied, then other procedures that have been easy and simple to me”, Surdul said.

On March 31st 2017, the Kosovo government adopted the law on legalisation and delivery of weapons, equipment and explosive equipment.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs has made the decision to legalise small and light arms, while the legalisation period was starting on December 17th 2018 and will be in force for 6 months, respectively, on June 17th.