The Russian Guard will create a database to control the circulation of weapons

Chairman of the Information Policy Committee and ex-adviser to the head of the Russian Guard Alexander Khinshtein (United Russia) announced the submission to the State Duma of a project that will allow Viktor Zolotov’s department to create its own state information system (GIS) in the areas of arms trafficking, private security activities and private security. In his opinion, it is this security agency that is now the most “advanced” – 98% of government services are already provided to them in remote access.

Khinshtein recalled that two years ago, on his initiative, amendments were adopted to introduce electronic registers of licenses and permits for weapons. According to him, their adoption has already yielded positive results: “The emergence of GIS will not only simplify the interaction of the Russian Guard with citizens and legal entities, but also increase control over the circulation of weapons and management of security service processes.”

In particular, Khinshtein added, it is expected that data banks will be created in the areas of private security activities and private security. “It is also important that the GIS is certified by the Federal Security Service and the Federal Service for Technical and Export Control to the highest level of security, which means that there can be no leaks from it (especially personal data of Russians),” says the deputy.

Vedomosti sent inquiries to Khinshtein and the Russian Guard. The law does not currently directly state that it is Zolotov’s department that is fully responsible for control over the circulation of weapons. In Art. 28 of the Law “On Weapons” states that control over the circulation of civilian and service weapons on the territory of the Russian Federation is carried out by the federal executive body authorized in the field of weapons circulation, its territorial bodies and bodies authorized by the government to issue licenses for the production of civilian and service weapons.

At the same time, the current government decree No. 288 of April 12, 1999 on measures to regulate the circulation of civilian and service weapons and ammunition for them on the territory of the Russian Federation contains a section “registration of ammunition and weapons.” It states that weapons and ammunition owned by legal entities and individuals, regardless of their type, type, model and sources of receipt, are subject to registration in the Russian Guard or its territorial bodies, with the exception of weapons and ammunition available in state paramilitary organizations.

At the same time, the order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of March 29, 2019 No. 205 “On the service of the local police commissioner in the administrative area served and the organization of this activity” established that the police remain responsible for maintaining a list of citizens who have weapons in their hands. “That is [с этой точки зрения] the circulation of weapons is controlled by local police officers, says the head of the Moscow trade union of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Russian Guard, Mikhail Pashkin. – If [всем] will be entrusted to the Russian Guard, then this is very good, because then both issuance and tracking will be in their hands.”

The founder and head of the Association of Veterans of the Alpha anti-terror unit, Sergei Goncharov, agrees with him, who also pointed out in a conversation with Vedomosti the strengthening of the Russian Guard. Goncharov associates the emergence of a GIS with data on weapons circulation with the needs of a military special operation: “I think it gives rise to situations, for example, with missing weapons and the need for more strict accounting of them.”

In addition, there is the problem of “black diggers”. These are the ones who take out weapons from the war and restore them to combat condition, says Goncharov: “So I think strengthening gun control makes sense.”

Military expert Yuri Knutov clarified to Vedomosti that at the moment records are not kept automatically: “If there is an electronic database, it will be an automated system – convenient for quickly finding the owner.” Knutov also believes that the emergence of GIS and, accordingly, increased control over the circulation of weapons are related to the current situation. “Of course, there is a possibility of illegal arms trafficking – and this must be fought,” the expert concluded.

In early September, the FSB reported that, together with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Russian National Guard, more than 200 clandestine manufacturers and sellers of weapons were identified in 53 regions of the country. During the raids, 757 firearms of domestic and foreign production were seized, including 251 rifles, carbines and shotguns, 93 machine guns, 22 machine guns, etc.

The activities of 84 underground weapons workshops were also suppressed. The events were held in June and July in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sevastopol, Crimea, DPR, LPR, Dagestan, Tatarstan, etc. Moreover, in November 2022, the department talked about suppressing the activities of underground gunsmiths in 30 regions of the Russian Federation.