On Thursday, December 30, a draft amendment to the Government decree of July 17, 1996 "On the procedure for issuing weapons to persons subject to State protection" was published on the federal portal of draft regulatory legal acts. Along with military personnel of the Ministry of Defense, employees of the FSB, SVR, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Rosgvardiya, FCS, as well as judges and prosecutors, it is proposed to issue weapons to employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations in case of a threat to their lives.
The Russian Government in its draft proposes to supplement paragraph 2 after the words "To the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation" with the words - "To the Ministry of the Russian Federation for Civil Defense, Emergencies and Elimination of Consequences of Natural Disasters".
It is also proposed that weapons to the employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, subject to state protection, will be issued on the basis of the order of the head of territorial bodies, rescue military formations of the Ministry of Emergency Situations.
Rescuers may need weapons primarily during rescue operations and humanitarian operations in the combat zone and "hot spots". Until now, ordinary rescuers work even in the most dangerous zones - without weapons. Cases of encroachment on the life of, for example, firefighters and other inspectors of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, who conduct fundamental control checks or investigations, are not excluded.
According to the law "On State Protection", weapons can be issued to protected persons if there is a threat to their life and health and provided that the use of other security measures is insufficient.
At the same time, military weapons can be issued only in exceptional cases, when the authorities ensuring their safety will recognize that the issuance of such weapons is extremely necessary to ensure the protection of life and health. Weapons are issued to protected persons for temporary use only for the period of validity in relation to their real threat, the project suggests.
Protected persons to whom weapons are issued must study their device and be instructed on the rules for storing, carrying and using weapons, and must also be warned of responsibility for their violation. If necessary, training firing is carried out for them, the document says.
Ivan Egorov
