Serbian citizens handed over 68,000 weapons in less than a month. This was stated by the President of the Republic Alexander Vučić.
“Until this morning, about 68,000 weapons and explosive devices have been transferred, these are concrete steps that the Serbian government is taking. This is the best action in the history of the Serbian police,” Vučić said (T quote).
He also announced an appeal to the Serbian parliament to tighten sanctions for those who possess illegal weapons and for those who only have a permit to possess them.
On May 24, the Serbian president said that the citizens of the republic had handed over over 37,200 illegal weapons and explosive devices. Then he noted that those who did not provide illegal weapons to the authorities before June 8 could face up to 15 years in prison.
Tightening of the legislation in the field of storage and carrying of the weapon was preceded by two m murders in the beginning of May. On May 2, a schoolboy fired at a school in Belgrade, killing nine people, and on the night of May 5, a local resident killed eight and wounded 14 people.
After that, Vucic announced a review of all previously issued permits for the storage of weapons, verification of owners and a sharp increase in the requirements for obtaining new permits and renewing old ones – in particular, it was about toxicological and narcological examinations.
Serbia is in first place in Europe in terms of the number of weapons in the hands of the population. According to the estimates of the international analytical center Global Arms Survey, there are more than 39 weapons per 100,000 inhabitants in the republic. For comparison: in Russia this indicator is on average 12 units, in the USA – 120. At the same time, despite such indicators, macres rarely occur in Serbia – the last such incident happened in 2013, when a veteran of the Yugoslav wars opened fire on their neighbors, killing 13 people.