Serbia, which is currently mourning two deadly mass shootings, has given its citizens until May 8th to turn in its vast private arsenal of unregistered weapons which were mostly amassed during the Yugoslav War.
Gun violence is often linked to a high official rate of per capita gun ownership which, at 37.8 per 1000, is higher in Serbia than anywhere in Europe apart from Switzerland (47.7) and Finland (45.3). 13,500 weapons have poured into government warehouses so far, with pictures emerging of official warehouses carpeted with a vast haul of rifles, pistols, grenades and even rocket launchers. Half of these weapons were never accounted for until now and as such have no impact on the official rate of ownership.
Vucic’s populist government has been accused of stoking divisions, fuelling hate speech and imposing autocratic rule across the country, but may yet manage to swing the public mood with the amnesty. The president says that the weapons from the amnesty will be given to the army and that anyone who is found to have an illegal weapon after May 8th could face up to 15 years in prison. Large demonstrations in Belgrade reveal a public divided over the efficacy of Vucic’s efforts.
Vucic has also suggested that the government might resign and that he will announce an early election at a rally he has planned for May 26.
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