Ukrainians will be able to declare weapons found during the war
21 March 2024 11:53
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has passed in the first reading a bill that simplifies the procedure for obtaining, storing and declaring weapons by Ukrainians in wartime. Its provisions will also apply to found weapons, Komersant ukrainskyi 
reports
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has adopted in the first reading the draft Law of Ukraine “On Amendments to the Law of Ukraine “On Ensuring the Participation of Civilians in the Defence of Ukraine” to improve the procedure for obtaining, declaring and handling firearms” (Reg. No. 9538).
The draft law proposes to
- to grant civilians the right to declare to the bodies (units) of the National Police of Ukraine their firearms and ammunition, as well as the right to own and use firearms and ammunition in order to repel and deter the armed aggression of the Russian Federation during the martial law in Ukraine and 90 days after its termination or cancellation;
- The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine to establish a procedure for declaring firearms and ammunition;
- firearms subject to declaration shall mean rifled firearms with a calibre of no more than 12.7 mm, smoothbore firearms with a calibre of no more than 23 mm, and ammunition for them, information about which is not available in the registers and databases (banks) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine;
- to regulate the rules for carrying, storing and transporting firearms and ammunition by civilians involved in repelling and deterring the armed aggression of the Russian Federation and/or other states, as well as the procedure for storing, recording, selling and disposing of declared firearms and ammunition.
Deputy Interior Minister Bohdan Drapaty said that the Interior Ministry and the National Police, in cooperation with MPs, are currently preparing proposals to improve the draft law for the second reading.
The Deputy Minister also outlined the main provisions of the document:
- A person who has found a weapon or received it to repel Russian aggression must register it. The procedure itself will be simplified and free of charge;
- If a person finds ammunition or weapons, he or she must inform the police within 24 hours, after which he or she either declares them and keeps them or hands them in;
- Weapons that have been involved in criminal offences or have signs of marking changes will be seized.
This way, civilians will have legal guarantees to legally keep the weapons they find during martial law.
