There is hardly a day when there is no news about a shooting or an incident with weapons in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in which there are often victims. The numbers that accompany such events are devastating and alarming.
According to the data of the Armed Violence Monitoring Platform (AVMP) in Southeast Europe, as many as 478 incidents related to firearms were recorded in BiH last year.
The rest of the black stats
This number also includes cases of confiscation of weapons, a total of 194 of them.
However, the rest of the black statistics bring worrying data, that 15 people lost their lives due to the use of firearms, that 52 people received injuries caused by such weapons, while five people committed suicide using firearms.
In another 69 cases, threats with the use of firearms were recorded.
Unfortunately, the situation in BiH indicates an increasing presence of both legal and illegal weapons. According to official data, 372,143 weapons are registered in the country.
Despite continuous efforts to find, confiscate and destroy illegal weapons, it is clear that it is difficult to completely eradicate the problem of illegal weapons in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The origin of the weapon used
It should be noted that, judging by the announcements about the origin of weapons used in criminal acts, incidents occur with both legal and illegal weapons. This shows that the problem is not only in the possession of weapons or their total number among citizens, but in their misuse.
Bosnia and Herzegovina also has an obligation to harmonize the legislation on weapons with the standards of the European Union. How demanding that task is is best illustrated by the fact that in our country there are currently as many as 12 different laws on weapons in force, which further complicates the control, monitoring and regulation of this sensitive area, he writes. Report.
