More and more citizens of Kosovo are turning to firearms - either for recreation or for safety. For three years, the number of permits issued to carry weapons has increased by almost three thousand.
The data of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the country show that, only during the year 2024, more than 10 thousand such permits were granted.
The reasons that lead citizens to arm themselves, according to her, are related to their passions for marksmanship and hunting.
Illegal weapons, a daily threat to the safety of citizens
But security experts think otherwise - public insecurity, they say, is among the main factors.
This, in a way, is also confirmed by Besnik, a 25-year-old from Pristina, who is in the process of obtaining a gun permit. "It's natural to feel safer when you know how to use a gun and have it with you," he says, not wanting to be identified.
Radio Free Europe spoke with him at the end of December at the Psychiatry Clinic of the University Clinical Center of Kosovo (QKUK), where he was waiting to undergo the psychological and psychiatric tests - necessary to obtain a gun permit.
Another citizen, in his mid-20s, who identified himself only as Leart, was waiting not far from him. "I'm going to apply for a short gun and a long gun," he said. "I'd like to keep the gun... even for a hobby, but normally I feel safer when I have it with me," Learti added.
Who can be equipped with weapons?
With the Law on Weapons in Kosovo, any person who is at least 21 years old can request a permit to be equipped with a weapon. The applicant must possess psycho-physical skills and pass the theoretical and practical test for the use of the weapon. Also, there must be a credible reason for needing a weapon, as well as a clean criminal record.
The assessment is made by the authorities responsible for the specific field. The weapon, even despite the permit, can be confiscated by court decision, if the possessor loses the ability to act, the psycho-physical ability, is convicted of a criminal offense or violates the specified conditions. In KKUK they say that, within a week, more than 50 people undergo checks by psychologists, psychiatrists, neurologists, ophthalmologists and otorhinolaryngologists, as well as biochemical tests - all of which are necessary to request a permit to carry weapons.
The director of the Psychiatry Clinic, Faton Kutllovci, says that he has noticed an increase in the interest of young people to be equipped with such health certificates. He does not provide comparative figures, but says that from the end of September to the beginning of December last year, about 500 health certificates were issued, necessary to apply for a gun permit, either for the first time, or for the continuation of her. "There are people who do not pass the tests because of previous psychiatric treatments, mental illnesses, abuse of psychoactive substances, etc.," says Kutlovci for Radio Free Europe.
As a separate concern, he mentions the requirements of persons younger than 21 years of age to undergo medical tests for carrying weapons with a permit. "... but, of course, they cannot be provided with health certificates", he says. Mitrovica General Hospital also reports cases of persons under 21 years of age. In a statement given to Radio Free Europe, it is said that from April to December of last year, there were 64 people between the ages of 19 and 24 who appeared for medical checks, but those under 21 were not allowed to undergo them. them.
During that period of time, in this hospital they say that 1,027 health certificates for carrying weapons were issued. The General Hospital of Prizren issued three times more such certificates during the last year - exactly 3,298. There were 129 beneficiaries aged 21-23, according to the data provided by REL from this institution.
Deputies and ministers, "in love" with guns
In the other General Hospital - that of Peja - they say that during 2024 they issued 1,255 health certificates for carrying weapons. Among those who provided them, 72 people were up to 23 years old. Such certificates - over 1,100 eyes - were also issued last year by the General Hospital of Gjakova.
Its officials confirm to Radio Free Europe that 20 percent of the people who were provided with them were aged 22-27. At the General Hospital of Gjilan, meanwhile, the number of health certificates issued from January to the end of December 2024 was 1,908. "This year we also had young people aged 21, 22 and 23. Usually the age range has been 40 to over 65," the response sent to Radio Free Europe states.
Weapons confiscated by the Kosovo Police, which were later destroyed in a metal foundry near the town of Ferizaj.
The increase in the number of weapons permits over the years
The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kosovo confirms for Radio Free Europe that in the last four years, it has given 35,293 people permission to carry weapons. The number of permits granted has changed over the years - in 2021 it was 7,520, in 2022 it was 7,125, in 2023 it was 10,458 and until the beginning of December 2024 it was 10,190. Asked about the applicants' reasons, the MIA says that they are mainly related to marksmanship and hunting and that the dominant permits are those for firearms and for specific sports. According to her, the average age of those who are equipped with them is about 40 years old.
In an earlier statement to the REL, the MIA said that until 2010 there were about 35,000 weapons registered with the United Nations Administration in Kosovo - UNMIK and that now "these weapons are being gradually registered according to the Law of weapons".
"Soft sentences": Over 230 thousand illegal weapons in the hands of Kosovars
The Kosovo Police say that, on an annual basis, they confiscate on average about 1,500 weapons of various types without permission. It is estimated that over 230,000 illegal weapons are in the hands of Kosovo citizens. "In the period January-August 2024, 1,122 weapons and 20,653 ammunition were confiscated", says the response of the Kosovo Police sent to REL.
For possession of weapons without a permit, the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kosovo foresees fines of up to 7,500 euros or imprisonment of up to 10 years. Burim Ramadani, an expert on security issues in Kosovo, who previously also served as Deputy Minister of Defense, says that one of the main reasons that encourages the citizens of Kosovo to arm themselves is public insecurity.
"Safety is not only a physical aspect, it is above all a feeling. The topic of security is almost the only one in Kosovo and this, normally, affects the increase in the feeling of insecurity", says Ramadani for Radio Free Europe.
The Kosovo Police did not answer Radio Free Europe's question about the number of murders in Kosovo in 2024. But, earlier, this institution confirmed to REL that in the period January-October 2023, 26 were recorded. murders, while in the same period of 2022 there were 21.
Illegal weapons that kill
In daily media releases, the police often report on violence, injuries, robberies and other criminal acts. The most unstable security situation, according to officials, is in the north of Kosovo, where the majority population is Serbian and influenced by official Belgrade. /REL/ (A2 Televizion)
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