Over 61 thousand people in the Republic of Moldova own lethal and non-lethal weapons
Over 61 thousand people in the Republic of Moldova own about 75 thousand lethal and non-lethal weapons. The law enforcement officers periodically carry out verification actions regarding the documents and their storage conditions, reports MOLDPRES.
Asked for supplies, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MAI), Daniel Mazepa, specified that in order to own a weapon, citizens must present a set of confirmatory documents. “It’s about medical documents, certificate of provenance, safety for keeping the weapon and lack of criminal record,” said the cited source.
Since the beginning of this year, the police have carried out over 62,000 checks at the homes of the owners to check the conditions of keeping, carrying and using weapons in the civilian circuit. Following the detected violations, the law enforcement officers submitted 702 procedures for the temporary or permanent withdrawal of the right to own weapons.
Also, the police detected 33 crimes committed with the use of weapons and documented 64 incidents with them. Annually, law enforcement officers identify around 500 illegally possessed weapons. According to MAI forecasts, this year, their number could increase due to the situation in the region.
People who possess guns illegally face penalties of unpaid labor or up to three years in prison.