Criminologist Dobrivoje Radovanović revealed why it is easy to get weapons in Serbia.
This sudden explosion attracted the attention of the public and highlighted a worrying fact – how is it possible to get weapons so easily and at the same time the price is extremely low? As he explains criminologist Dobrivoje Radovanović there is a wide availability of weapons and they can be acquired in a variety of ways. He also referred to the state’s appeals for citizens to voluntarily surrender their weapons in order to avoid sanctions. However, Radovanović points out that people are now trying to get rid of weapons in all possible ways in order to avoid responsibility.
“They don’t want to hand over weapons for nothing. People are afraid of sanctions and that’s why they want to get rid of them, but also charge for it. It’s not about high prices, people who deal with these things are ready to sell their weapons almost for nothing. In those situations, the price doesn’t matter, just to get rid of him.” Radovanović states.
“There are significantly more weapons in Serbia than official data reveal. Every house that owns one piece of weapon almost certainly owns more than that. A lot of people will respond to the state’s call to hand over their weapons voluntarily. However, most of them try to get rid of weapons in illegal ways”, says Radovanović. Radovanović also notes that there will certainly be people who will literally leave their weapons by the side of the road or throw them into canals.
“I am most afraid of that, that they will get rid of the weapons wherever they go. If that happens, weapons can end up in who knows whose hands,” he adds. As he says, this is the 4-5th time that weapons have been handed over without sanctions. “Criminals will certainly not return the weapons and who knows how many illegal weapons they possess. A lot of people were on the battlefields from which they brought a lot of weapons. So voluntary surrender will not achieve much. The state must start with illegal control. Also, the sanctions must be rigorous“, states Radovanović.
(WORLD/Blic)