Legalization of weapons in Ukraine: “This is a dangerous idea on hype,” – Vasyl Vovk

The discussion on the legalization of short-barreled weapons has once again intensified in Ukraine. The impetus was another petition, the authors of which argue that the need for permission is due to the inability of the police to guarantee the safety of citizens in critical situations.

However, such an initiative has provoked sharp criticism from representatives of the law enforcement sphere.

“This is a very dangerous idea, especially in the hype after a tragedy,” the expert said exclusively in a comment for Femida.ua.

He emphasized that such initiatives often arise against the background of high-profile crimes and are used to divert attention.

“Weapons already exist — and there are too many of them”

According to Vasyl Vovk, a shadow weapons market has already been formed in Ukraine, so legalization will not solve the security problem.

“Those who wanted to have weapons already have them. Those who want them will find them in a few days,” he noted.

The expert emphasized that the state’s primary task should not be to expand access to weapons, but to restore order in the sphere of their circulation.

“It is best to think about how to take away unnecessary weapons from people, and not how to allow even more,” he added.

Society is not ready for responsibility

He paid special attention to the lack of a culture of handling weapons and proper training even among law enforcement officers.

“People do not know in which cases weapons can be used. And not even all law enforcement officers understand this,” the expert emphasized.