ISSN 2410-3594
e-ISSN 2786-7382
UDC 34; 159.9
Scientific Journal of the National Academy of Internal Affairs
- weapons legalisation; civilian population; criminal offences; public order; public danger
- https://doi.org/10.63341/naia-herald/3.2025.60
- Pages 60-73
The relevance of the article lies in the fact that in the conditions of the full-scale war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, the need to strengthen control over arms trafficking, ensure law and order, and the safety of citizens is becoming more acute. The illegal trade in weapons leads to an increased risk to public safety and creates the conditions for a rise in violent crimes. The aim of the article was to establish optimal ways to prevent the illicit trafficking of firearms, explosives, and ammunition during martial law and, based on international experience, to investigate the feasibility of their legalisation. To achieve this goal, a number of methods were applied: comparative, structural, and systemic. A study of international experience showed that in countries where arms control is lax or arms trafficking is legalised, there is an increase in the number of criminal offences involving weapons. In contrast, in countries where strict arms control has been introduced, a lower level of gun crime is registered. It has been established that the decriminalisation of the storage and manufacture of weapons would increase their circulation among the population, could lead to the illegal use of weapons in both domestic and interpersonal conflicts, and would increase the risk to public safety. Thus, replacing criminal liability for the storage and manufacture of weapons with administrative liability does not sufficiently consider the consequences for the law enforcement system and would reduce the effectiveness of the fight against criminal offences. Firm and strict control over the circulation of firearms reduces the risks of violent crimes involving the use of weapons. The practical significance of the study lies in identifying effective approaches to the legislative regulation of firearms, ammunition, and explosives for further implementation into the legislation of Ukraine, as well as possible ways and means of preventing the illicit trafficking of firearms, ammunition, and explosives during martial law in Ukraine
References
[1] After shooting in NRW city: Police arrest suspect – he shot wife and other people. (2024). Retrieved from https://surl.li/nqjwud.
[2] Arundel, K. (2025). School shootings in 2024 fell just below prior year’s record high. Retrieved from https://www.k12dive.com/news/school-shootings-2024-near-record-high-2025-predictions/736590/.
[3] Bogdanets, O.Y., Khlystun, I.A., & Pryamitsyn, V.Y. (2021). Legalization of civilian weapons: Specifics, legal basis and foreign experience. Legal Scientific Electronic Journal, 9, 57-60. doi: 10.32782/2524-0374/2021-9/12.
[4] Center of Security Studies CENSS. (2021). Results of the study “Illegal trafficking and use of weapons in Ukraine in 2020”. Retrieved from https://censs.org/illcit-arms-2020/.
[5] Chernysh, V., & Voronina, V. (2022). The role of baseline in shaping and evaluating state policy on arms trafficking. Electronic Scientific Publication “Public Administration and National Security”, 1(54). doi: 10.25313/2617-572x-2025-1-10640.
[6] Conner, M., & Norman, P. (2022). Understanding the intention-behavior gap: The role of intention strength. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, article number 923464. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.923464.
[7] CrimeDataLab. (n.d.). Crime prevention statistics in Ukraine (2013-2024). Retrieved from https://crimedatalab.shinyapps.io/platform/.
[8] Crokidakis, N. (2022). Modeling the impact of civilian firearm ownership in the evolution of violent crimes.
Applied Mathematics and Computation, 429, article number 127256 doi: 10.1016/j.amc.2022.127256.
[9] Daraklis, M., Pol, M., Johnson, L., Salvatora, C., & Kerns, L. (2024). A statistical analysis of the impact of gun ownership on mass shootings in the USA between 2013 and 2022. Journal of Urban Health, 101(3), 571-583. doi: 10.1007/s11524-024-00881-9.
[10] Department of Communications of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. (2024). Bohdan Drap’yatyy: In 2024, 4,700 criminal proceedings were initiated for illegal handling of weapons, ammunition or explosives. Retrieved from https://surl.li/ngdptg.
[11] Facilitating organizational change. (2022). Development and Learning in Organizations: An International Journal, 36(1), 30-32. doi: 10.1108/dlo-03-2021-0037.
[12] Federal Statistical Office. (2022). Police crime statistics 2022. Retrieved from https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/fr/home/statistiques/criminalite-droit-penal/police/violence.gnpdetail.2023-0189.html.
[13] Galunko, V.V., Borodin, I.L., & Dragan, O.V. (2024). Arms circulation among the civilian population: positive foreign experience. Law and Public Administration, 1, 323-328. doi: 10.32782/pdu.2024.1.45.
[14] General Prosecutor Office. (n.d.). On registered criminal offences and the results of their pre-trial investigation. Retrieved from https://gp.gov.ua/ua/posts/pro-zareyestrovani-kriminalni-pravoporushennya-ta-rezultati-yih-dosudovogo-rozsliduvannya-2.
[15] Gergely, H. (2024). Locked but loaded: The dynamics of firearms ownership in Ukraine. Retrieved from https://surl.li/kovykw.
[16] Greenberg, B., et al. (2024). How firearm legislation impacts firearm mortality internationally: A scoping review. Health Policy OPEN, 7, article number 100127. doi: 10.1016/j.hpopen.2024.100127.
[17] Hemenway, D., & Nelson, E. (2020). The scope of the problem: Gun violence in the USA. Current Trauma Reports, 6(1), 29-35. doi: 10.1007/s40719-020-00182-x.
[18] Hemenway, D., Kennedy, B.P., Kawachi, I., & Putnam, R.D. (2001). Firearm prevalence and social capital. Annals of Epidemiology, 11(7), 484-490. doi: 10.1016/s1047-2797(01)00235-6.
[19] Hendel, K.R., Vaughan, E., Kirschmann, J.M., & Johnston, C.A. (2024). Moving beyond raising awareness: Addressing barriers. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 18(6), 740-743. doi: 10.1177/15598276241274114.
[20] Hideg, G. (2024). Locked but loaded: Firearms possession dynamics in Ukraine. Retrieved from https://www.smallarmssurvey.org/sites/default/files/resources/SAS-Situation-Update-2024-Ukraine-EN.pdf.
[21] Hirak, G. (2024). Pitfalls of the gun law: Who will it give the opportunity for self-defense? Retrieved from https://ua.korrespondent.net/articles/4656410-pidvodni-kameni-zakonu-pro-zbroui-komu-vin-dast-mozhlyvist-samozakhystu.
[22] Hurka, S., & Knill, C. (2018). Does regulation matter? A cross‐national analysis of the impact of gun policies on homicide and suicide rates. Regulation & Governance, 14(4), 787-803. doi: 10.1111/rego.12235.
[23] Jafarova, O., & Dunaeva, T. (2023). Preventing the illicit trafficking of firearms in the context of full-scale aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine. Naukovì Perspektivi, 11(41), 848-857. doi: 10.52058/2708-7530-2023-11(41)-848-857.
[24] Kappelman, J., & Fording, R.C. (2021). The effect of state gun laws on youth suicide by firearm: 1981- 2017. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 51(2), 368-377. doi: 10.1111/sltb.12713.
[25] Khomenko, A.O. (2024). International experience in regulating arms circulation: Ways of implementation in Ukraine. Law Journal of Vasyl Stus Donetsk National University, 2, 174-182. doi: 10.31558/2786-5835.2024.2.18.
[26] Kleck, G. (2015). The impact of gun ownership rates on crime rates: A methodological review of the evidence. Journal of Criminal Justice, 43(1), 40-48. doi: 10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2014.12.002.
[27] Krüsselmann, K., Aarten, P., & Liem, M. (2021). Firearms and violence in Europe – a systematic review.
PloS One, 16(4), article number e0248955. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0248955.
[28] Kulyk, M.S. (2024). Peculiarities of the circulation of firearms among citizens of Ukraine under the legal regime of martial law. Law and Society, 2, 461-469. doi: 10.32842/2078-3736/2024.2.65.
[29] Kulyk, M.S., & Tylchik, V.V. (2023). The concept and essence of weapons circulation among the civilian population. Current Problems of Domestic Jurisprudence, 2, 116-121. doi: 10.32782/39221479.
[30] Leshchenko, K. (2023). Current trends in the military-industrial integration of the EU countries and implications for Ukraine. Foreign Affairs, 33(4), 8-21. doi: 10.46493/2663-2675.33(4).2023.8-21.
[31] List of mass shootings in the United States in 2024. (2025). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mass_shootings_in_the_United_States_in_2024.
[32] Liu, G., & Wiebe, D.J. (2019). A time-series analysis of firearm purchasing after mass shooting events in the United States. JAMA Network Open, 2(4), article numbere 191736. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.1736.
[33] Marks, N., HATER Lab, Department of Geography, University of Utah. (2024). Interactive map of school shootings. Retrieved from https://k12ssdb.org/interactive-map.
[34] Milenin, V., & Natochii, A. (2024). Some features of firearms circulation. In Conference of the International Center for Scientific Research (pp. 121-123). Sumy: Ukraine.
[35] Priputen, D.S. (2020). State control over the circulation of civilian firearms in Ukraine. Pravo.ua, 3, 38-43. doi: 10.32782/law.ua.2020.3.7.
[36] Reeping, P.M., Cerdá, M., Kalesan, B., Wiebe, D.J., Galea, S., & Branas, C.C. (2019). State gun laws, gun ownership, and mass shootings in the US: Cross sectional time series. BMJ, 364, article number l542. doi: 10.1136/bmj.l542.
[37] Sanakoev, D. (2023). Regulatory and legal aspects of regulating the circulation of weapons under martial law. Scientific Bulletin of Dnipro State University of Internal Affairs, 2, 224-230. doi: 10.31733/2078-3566-2023-6-224-230.
[38] Scheeßel in Lower Saxony: Bundeswehr soldier shoots four people. (2024). Retrieved from https://www.faz.net/aktuell/gesellschaft/kriminalitaet/scheessel-in-niedersachsen-bundeswehrsoldat-erschiesst-vier-menschen-19556474.htm.
[39] Shvets, B.S., Moskalenko, Ya.S., & Kopylov, E.V. (2024). Certain issues of preventing the commission of criminal offenses related to the illegal trafficking of firearms, ammunition and explosives. UNIVERSUM, 7, 88-93.
[40] Siegel, M., Ross, C.S., & King 3rd, C. (2013). The relationship between gun ownership and firearm homicide rates in the United States, 1981-2010. American Journal of Public Health, 103(11), 2098-2105. doi: 10.2105/ajph.2013.301409.
[41] Staff, T. (2024). Death toll rises in Nazareth extended family shooting; motive unknown. Retrieved from https://surl.li/xgyrmd.
[42] Stegmüller, C., & Turuban, P. (2024). How Switzerland combines a passion for guns with safety. Retrieved from https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/business/how-switzerland-combines-a-passion-for-guns-with-safety/49115108.
[43] Switzerland passes new gun law. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://telegrafi.com/en/Switzerland-adopts-new-gun-law/.
[44] Symonenko, N.O., & Khomenko, A.O. (2024). Development of legal regulation of illegal arms trafficking: Critical analysis of amendments to Article 263 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine and their enforcement practice. Scientific Bulletin of Kyiv Institute of the National Guard of Ukraine, 2, 95-103. doi: 10.59226/2786-6920.2.2024.95-103.
[45] Three dead in Albstadt: 63-year-old shoots family members in Lautlingen. (2024). Retrieved from https://surl.lu/osxwaw.
[46] Udovenko, Zh.V., & Halytskyi, V.O. (2024). International experience in combating the illegal circulation of portable firearms and their ammunition. European Legal Journal, 4, 85-91. doi: 10.36919/3041-1149(print).4.2024.85-91.
[47] Vecino-Ortiz, A.I., & Guzman-Tordecilla, D.N. (2019). Gun-carrying restrictions and gun-related mortality, Colombia: A difference-in-difference design with fixed effects. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 98(3), 170-176. doi: 10.2471/blt.19.236646.
[48] Vegter, A., & Middlewood, A.T. (2022). The massacre generation: Young people and attitudes about mass shooting prevention. Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, 103(4), 820- 832. doi: 10.1111/ssqu.13148.
[49] Verkhoturova, M.A., & Krasovsky, O.P. (2024). Legalisation of short-barreled firearms in Ukraine: Problematic issues. In Current problems of combating corruption under martial law (pp. 35-37). doi: 10.36059/978-966-397-358-6-10.
[50] Wallace, M.E., Vilda, D., Theall, K.P., & Stoecker, C. (2021). Firearm relinquishment laws associated with substantial reduction in homicide of pregnant and postpartum women. Health Affairs, 40(10). doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2021.01129.
[51] Werbick, M., Bari, I., Paichadze, N., & Hyder, A.A. (2021). Firearm violence: A neglected “Global Health” issue. Globalization and Health, 17(1), article number 120. doi: 10.1186/s12992-021-00771-8.