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SEESAC. 2021 ‘Domestic Violence as Grounds for Rejecting Firearm License - Kosovo.’ 2022 SEESAC Gender Analysis Report - Kosovo, p. 8. Belgrade: South Eastern and Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons. 23 December

Relevant contents

The possession of firearms in Kosovo is regulated by the Law on Weapons, Law no. 05/L -022 (2015). The Law on Weapons prescribes that danger to public order and safety, which includes domestic violence, represents ground for the immediate rejection of a firearm license application. Consequently, an application will be rejected if:

1. The applicant has been convicted of a criminal offence;
2. The applicant has been convicted through a final court decision for a minor offence of breaching public peace and order involving violent elements;
3. The applicant's circumstances show that firearms may be misused, particularly in cases of an applicant being registered on any list of the relevant authorities for domestic violence;
4. The applicant has perpetrated domestic violence which has been registered in police files or the relevant courts;
5. The applicant is under investigation for a criminal offence.

The procedure for the acquisition of firearms and ammunition by a natural person starts with one's applying for a firearm license through the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The Department for Public Safety (DPS) within the Ministry of Internal Affairs is the competent body for making decisions on issuing firearm licenses. The Law on Weapons prescribes that the legitimate reasons for purchasing a weapon and ammunition by a natural person are restricted to: the carrying of firearms; hunting; shooting range purposes; and collection purposes.

The security vetting for the requirements established in Article 10 of the Law on Weapons (consolidated version 97/2018) is conducted by the use of data from official records kept by relevant institutions, in particular Kosovo Police and the courts. The security vetting is performed to ensure that an applicant fulfils the requirements for possession of a firearm license, which is verified with the issuance of a confirmation that the person does not represent a danger to public order and safety. The confirmation indicating that a natural person has not been convicted of a criminal or minor offence is issued by the court, while the confirmation certifying that a natural person is not registered on any list of the relevant authorities for domestic violence is issued by the Police. These confirmations are essential for the approval of acquiring a firearm and serve as proof that, among other things, the person does not have a registered domestic violence record with the Police. These confirmations are then submitted to the Ministry of Internal Affairs together with the application and other relevant documentation. Evidently, this background investigation entails only those confirmations issued by the court and the Police.

In addition, the Law on Weapons also regulates the procedure for the renewal of a firearm license and stipulates that the same conditions apply as for the approval of the license for acquiring firearms and ammunition.

ID: Q15888

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