Who can lose the right to purchase "means of self-defense" and what does Russian citizenship have to do with it
In Russia, they propose to tighten the circulation of weapons in order to increase security in the country. The initiative contains a ban on the free sale of civilian weapons of limited destruction and smoothbore firearms to persons who received Russian citizenship less than five years ago. The bill will be submitted to the State Duma by the leader of the SR faction Sergey Mironov, Izvestia found out. We are ready to support the initiative in the Human Rights Council. They said they were preparing similar measures to be proposed to the government commission for the prevention of offenses.
To withstand the deadline
The State Duma proposes to tighten the circulation of weapons, in particular, to prohibit its sale to migrants who received Russian citizenship less than five years ago. This is stated in the bill, which was prepared with the participation of the leader of the faction "Fair Russia — For the Truth" Sergei Mironov. The document is available to Izvestia.
"Taking into account ... emerging new threats and challenges to the security of the state and citizens of the Russian Federation, it is proposed to establish additional protection mechanisms within the arms trafficking regime," the explanatory note to the document says. In particular, we are talking about those who received citizenship in a simplified manner.
Photo: IZVESTIA/Kristina Kormilitsyna
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It notes that the current legislation defines citizenship as a stable legal relationship of a person with the Russian Federation, which is expressed in a set of mutual rights and obligations. However, in order to understand the true attitude of a new citizen to the country, it takes time, which does not remain in the conditions of a simplified order. For example, back in 2022, President Vladimir Putin signed a decree that all Ukrainians, not just residents of new territories, can become citizens of Russia. To obtain a passport, they will not need to live in our country for five years, take an exam in the Russian language and have a source of income. In addition, consideration of the application will take three months, not a year.
"This federal law proposes to establish a ban on the purchase of civilian firearms of limited destruction, hunting weapons, smoothbore firearms of self-defense by persons who have Russian citizenship for less than five years. The proposed five—year period of citizenship will allow for a more effective assessment of a stable legal relationship with Russia," the document says.
As Sergey Mironov explained to Izvestia, today in a number of regions of Russia there is an unfavorable criminal situation caused by the dominance of migrants.
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— Having arrived in the Russian Federation, many citizens of the CIS countries strive to obtain Russian citizenship as soon as possible. As a rule, these are young, healthy guys. They do not want to serve in the Russian army, but they buy firearms "for self-defense" regularly. Personally, this state of affairs greatly worries me," the parliamentarian said.
He also questioned whether migrants can ensure the safety of purchased weapons, as required by Russian legislation.
— Together with the cartridges, it should be stored in a safe or a metal cabinet made of durable metal so that it does not harm other people. But where is the guarantee that these rules will be followed? — he explained.
According to the press service of the party, the initiative is planned to be submitted to the lower house on September 14.
Izvestia sent a request to the government with a request to assess the prospects for supporting the bill.
To prevent the growth of crime
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Kirill Kabanov, chairman of the National Anti-Corruption Committee, member of the Presidium of the Human Rights Council under the President of the Russian Federation, told Izvestia that the HRC is preparing similar proposals that will be submitted to the government commission for the prevention of offenses in the framework of countering "ethnic enclaves".
— This bill deserves support. No matter which party introduces it, the situation is very alarming. Personally, I know of many cases when, after obtaining citizenship of the Russian Federation, migrants immediately go to buy weapons for self-defense. The question is, why? No one attacks them in Russia," the human rights activist explained.
He said that he had talked with many arms sellers who confirm this information in private conversations.
— For our part, we will seek the introduction of these restrictions. It is incorrect to say that the rights of these people will be violated by this, since there is an article in Russian legislation "Deprivation of citizenship" for actions that pose a threat to the national security of the country, Kirill Kabanov stressed.
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The expert believes that if the free sale of weapons continues, it may lead to an increase in crime and gangs.
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, from January to June 2023, migrants committed 22 thousand crimes in Russia, which is 6.3% more than in the same period of 2022. Most of them — almost 18.5 thousand — are citizens of the CIS. This is also 6.5% more than last year.
Other parties reacted differently to the initiative.
In United Russia, Izvestia was informed that they would study the bill after it was submitted to the State Duma.
— As soon as this bill is submitted to the State Duma, we will carefully study it. Our party is very attentive to security issues and, in particular, to the circulation of weapons," deputy chairman of the faction Adalbi Shkhagoshev explained to Izvestia.
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The Communist Party believes that it is necessary to prohibit the free sale of all types of weapons, except hunting, and not only to migrants, but also to all other Russians.
— We must be protected by the state and law enforcement agencies, as it was in the USSR. If everyone defends himself, then it will not end well," explained the deputy of the State Duma, communist Nikolai Arefyev.
The first deputy chairman of the LDPR faction, Sergei Leonov, told Izvestia that before evaluating the initiative, it is necessary to study crime statistics, as well as consult with the Rosgvardiya on the existence of such a problem.
— We can't discriminate against people who have become citizens of the Russian Federation. They receive all the rights and duties, according to the Constitution. Perhaps we just need to check more carefully those people whom we accept into our citizenship. Secondly, let me remind you that before getting the right to buy weapons, a person undergoes training and appropriate checks. Therefore, this issue should be thoroughly investigated," the deputy noted.
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The chairman of the public organization "Right to Arms" Vyacheslav Vaneev, on the contrary, supported the bill. According to him, such restrictions have already been introduced in a number of countries.
— For example, in Germany, those who want to obtain citizenship undergo the naturalization procedure, which takes from six years. During this time, they must also take integration courses and pass a language proficiency exam. Therefore, this is a normal practice, since we need to know who comes to live in our country," the expert believes.
Natalia Bashlykova