In Ukraine, there is a monopolized market of short-barreled rifled firearms (SBR), the mechanisms of functioning of this market can be found in this video.
Obviously, CCW is one of the best means of self-defense, and for many years UIAW has been fighting for the legal right of citizens to purchase such weapons. It is clear that such a situation is extremely disadvantageous for the “holders” of the monopoly market of the EHS in Ukraine, since the excess profits will be distributed on equal terms and will participate in the formation of GDP, and not go into the pockets of a certain group of people. This is the main and real reason for blocking the draft law No. 1135-1.
Having investigated the issue of the illegality of civilian use of decorative weapons, we decided to establish the details of the functioning of this gray market of CCW in Ukraine.
First, we asked how many firearms were issued as state awards and how many as departmental awards. Despite the fact that the so-called “departmental awards” completely negate the state award – “personalized firearms”, it was found that the President of Ukraine treats this issue quite responsibly, since only 36 people have been awarded with personalized firearms for all time (since 2004).
Instead, only the Ministry of Internal Affairs under the leadership of Yuriy Lutsenko in 2005-2006 issued hundreds of units of CCPs to non-senior officers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, including the current top managers of the state.
This topic was investigated by the then journalist, and now MP and member of the Board of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Mustafa Nayem. Since then, the scale of issuance of departmental awards “firearms” has increased many times and according to some estimates amount to tens of thousands of firearms.
Imagine our shock when the Ministry of Internal Affairs (as the body that provides permits for weapons, including award weapons) informed us that they do NOT keep records of owners of award weapons.
There is nothing to add.
Perhaps Mustafa Nayem will be interested in this topic again, because there is a situation that a fake permit for award weapons will provide its owner with an indulgence from the same Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Updated on 30.11.2015:
We were very surprised by the response of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, but the answer of Minister Avakov to the deputy’s appeal of Igor Lutsenko leaves no doubt – the Ministry of Internal Affairs does not keep records of persons awarded with the “firearms” decoration of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Author: Vitaliy Kolomiets
Attorneys at law “Orekhovskyi and Kolomiets”