Frequent firefights on the streets of Sarajevo Canton and disruption of the security situation put the problem of illegal weapons and their availability to everyone in focus.
Since the beginning of 2024, several serious crimes have been committed in which the perpetrators used firearms obtained illegally. It is important to mention that it is not uncommon for a cold weapon to be used in a murder, as was the case in the murders at Ciglane and the last such case from Alipašino Polje.
A murder is a murder and a life that is extinguished is extinguished forever, regardless of how it was carried out, but when we talk about firefights, we cannot help but refer to the illegal weapons that are present to a large extent. Not only in Sarajevo, but also in other cities.
Possession of illegal weapons is also defined in the FBiH Criminal Code, in Article 371 “Illegal possession of weapons or explosive substances”, and the penalties are as follows:
Whoever manufactures, modifies, sells, acquires or exchanges firearms, ammunition or explosive substances without authorization, or who possesses firearms, ammunition or explosive substances without authorization, the acquisition of which is not allowed to citizens, shall be punished by imprisonment for up to three years;
Whoever commits the criminal offense referred to in paragraph 1 of this article in relation to a larger quantity of firearms, ammunition or explosive substances, shall be punished by a prison sentence of one to ten years.
Anyone who voluntarily hands over the funds referred to in paragraph 1 of this article to the competent authority may be punished more lightly.
Police officers of the Police Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Sarajevo Canton implement operational actions aimed, among other things, at suppressing illegal weapons.
In such and similar actions, but also during the realization of regular activities, 86 pistols and rifles have been seized since the beginning of the year. In addition, hand grenades and several thousand pieces of ammunition were confiscated.
“During the first eight months of 2024, members of the Police Department of the Ministry of Interior of the Sarajevo Canton seized 23 rifles, 63 pistols, eight hand grenades and 5,389 pieces of ammunition of various calibers as part of activities to confiscate illegally owned weapons and other items,” said the KS MUP Police Administration in response to Klix.ba.
It is important to mention that the Sarajevo police, as well as the police of other cantons in the FBiH, Brčko District and the MUP of the RS, are implementing the “Respect life, not weapons” campaign, which focuses on educating citizens about the responsible ownership of legal weapons and the voluntary surrender of illegal weapons. weapons.
Any citizen who voluntarily surrenders illegal weapons has the possibility of amnesty, Klix.ba writes.
