A million firearms legally owned in Serbia

NEWS 06.08.201909:50
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Serbian citizens legally own almost one million firearms, Belgrade daily Politika said on Tuesday citing Internal Affairs Ministry figures.

Most of those weapons are hunting, sports or personal protection guns but the authorities are facing a huge problem with illegal firearms left over from the wars of the 1990s, it said.

Automatic weapons and explosive devices are banned under Serbian law and their owners face between two and 12 years in prison.

The Serbian police destroyed some 18,000 illegal weapons seized from criminals or handed in under an amnesty three years ago. The Internal Affairs Ministry launched three separate initiatives allowing individuals to hand in illegal firearms with no consequences since 2014.

Politika said that large amounts of firearms are still available on the black market, adding that AK type assault rifles cost between 600 and 1,000 Euros while Heckler & Koch automatic weapons cost up to 2,000 Euros and are mainly used for underworld drive by killings. Pistols and revolvers cost between 50 and 500 Euros each, depending on state and manufacturer while explosive devices which criminals use for murders cost between 5,000 and 10,000 Euros, the daily said quoting an unnamed source.