Serbia to impose strict gun restrictions after two massacres in just three days
All people with guns will be checked, and no more than a tenth of them will be allowed to keep them, president promises
After two major tragedies in just three days, Serbian authorities announced new, even stricter measures to restrict gun ownership, as well as a permanent police presence in schools, especially in Belgrade.
Source. This was reported by the BBC.
On Friday, the second armed attack in Serbia this week killed eight people and injured at least 14.
On Wednesday, a massacre occurred in the center of Belgrade when a teenager shot and killed eight students and a security guard at his school.
Shortly after the suspect was arrested on Friday, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic called the new massacre a terrorist attack, adding that "after the attack on our children, it became an attack on our entire country."
Speaking at a press conference, Vucic listed numerous new measures designed to urgently tighten the law on gun ownership, and even mentioned that he regretted the absence of the death penalty in the country.
According to local media reports, on Friday, the shooter opened fire with an automatic weapon from his car while driving in the village of Dubona in the Mladenovac municipality, about 40 km from Belgrade.
After the shooting, he fled, and on Friday morning, Serbian national television reported that the suspected gunman had been detained.
The Serbian Interior Ministry reported that the detainee was 21-year-old Uroš Blažić, the son of a Serbian army soldier. He is suspected of killing eight people and injuring 14. A large number of illegal weapons and ammunition were found in the house where he was hiding.
Local media reported that the man started shooting at people after an argument with a police officer in a schoolyard late Thursday night. He left, but then returned with an assault rifle and a pistol and opened fire. According to witnesses, the man began shooting at people from a car, killing a total of eight people and wounding at least 14 others.
"All people who have weapons, which is about 480,000 people, not counting hunters, will be checked, and no more than 30-40,000 of them will be able to own weapons," the president said. According to Vucic, fines for illegal possession of weapons will double, and the maximum prison term will increase from 12 to 15 years.
For legal owners, regular checks will become more frequent, including identification, medical and psychiatric examinations, and drug tests, the president added. This should lead to the "complete disarmament of Serbia," he said.
Vucic also announced that about 1,200 police officers would be hired over the next six months to guard schools.
"With this, we will not only increase security by 99%, but I am sure we will also reduce peer-to-peer violence in schools by 80%," Vucic said.
Background. As reported, Serbia is getting a positive economic boost from Russians who fled the war.
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