Since March 1, Russia has been tightening the rules for obtaining permits for weapons, said Vadim Medvedev, deputy head of the Main Directorate of the Russian Guard in Moscow, head of the Center for Licensing and Permitting Work, on February 19.
According to him, the changes will affect, first of all, the procedure for passing a medical examination in terms of determining whether a citizen has medical contraindications to owning weapons.
“As for psychological testing when obtaining a weapon certificate, I believe that this measure, as an additional examination, can be prescribed by a specialist doctor, based on the results of his examination,” Medvedev said in an interview with the TASS news agency.
The difference from the current order is that the examination in medical institutions will become mandatory, he said.
“In addition, the Russian Guard gets the opportunity to check in real time the authenticity of the fact that a citizen has passed this medical examination,” the deputy head of the main department concluded.
Earlier, on December 22, it was reported that a bill was submitted to the State Duma of the Russian Federation, providing for tougher control over the issuance of firearms. In particular, it proposes to check all candidates for obtaining weapons by the forces of the FSB and the Ministry of Internal Affairs within the framework of the legislation on operational-search activities.
If there is information about the involvement of a citizen in organized crime or about his intentions to use a weapon for illegal (criminal) purposes, this data will be transferred to the National Guard and be the basis for refusing to issue a weapon permit.
The draft law provides that the waiver will be valid for a year. It can be challenged in court. In addition, verification may be carried out in relation to those who already own weapons.
On December 8, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation proposed to change the legislation on weapons on certain articles. The corresponding letter of the department was sent to the Ministry of Industry and Trade. The department wants to get the authority to study cartridges for civilian and service weapons.
In October, the Government Commission on Legislative Activities approved amendments to the federal law “On Hunting …”, which will make it more difficult to obtain a hunting license, and therefore weapons.
On June 28, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law raising the age for acquiring hunting and firearms long-barreled self-defense weapons from 18 to 21 years. The document also introduces additional grounds for refusing to issue licenses for the purchase of weapons.