Dangerous souvenir: how illegal possession of even one cartridge leads to the dock

Firearms are not toys, but objects of increased danger. Belarus has strict restrictions and strict liability for the illegal possession, carrying and use of weapons, ammunition, explosives and explosive devices. Details - in the material of the correspondent of the agency "Minsk-Novosti".

The photo is illustrative in nature

So, for petty theft in the store detained 39-year-old Minsk citizen. The outfit took him to the city police department for further investigation, where during a personal search, an employee found a cartridge in the side pocket of his backpack.

According to the conclusion of the forensic ballistic examination, the cartridge is manufactured by factory method and is an ammunition for hand rifled firearms.

From the case file

The accused is not officially employed anywhere, is a disabled person of the II group, previously had problems with the law.

A criminal case was opened against a resident of the capital. During the court hearing, he fully admitted guilt in the incriminated crime, repented of what he had done. The defendant explained that during the move with his wife to a new apartment found the cartridge in the drawer of the kitchen set. I decided to keep it as a souvenir and put it in a personal backpack.

The court found him guilty of unlawful acquisition, storage, transportation and carrying of ammunition (with the exception of ammunition for hunting firearms smoothbore weapons). On the basis of Part 2 of Article 295 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus, he was sentenced to a fine of 40 basic units (1,800 rubles). In addition, the accused was subjected to compulsory treatment for chronic alcoholism and drug addiction.

The photo is illustrative in nature

A 50-year-old Minsk resident, who works as an administrator in a fast-food restaurant in the capital, received a criminal record and a large fine for the illegal manufacture, storage, transportation and carrying of explosives. On one of the marketplaces, the man purchased two packages of construction and installation cartridges - according to his original version, they were required to scare away birds from the garden with a signal gun. However, being in his apartment on Tsnyanska Street, he methodically disassembled them and extracted smokeless industrial powder, which he planned to use for self-equipment of imitators of cartridges. Later, by public transport, the defendant transported part of the dangerous cargo to the village of Novy Dvor, where his dacha plot is located.

One day, police officers came to the apartment of homegrown Kulibin. During the search, law enforcement officers seized a container with gunpowder with a total weight of more than 27 g. Another container, which was 17.57 g of explosives, operatives found at his dacha.

From the case file

According to the expert’s conclusion, the powder seized from the Minsk citizen belongs to the category of propelling explosives and is fully suitable for the production of an explosion.

Guilt the resident of the capital admitted completely. The need to extract gunpowder from the cartridges, the defendant explained by the fact that they were allegedly of poor quality and when firing from a signal gun, they misfired.

Another Minsk man, a 57-year-old locksmith, has yet to be brought to justice for his illegal actions. A few years ago, while collecting mushrooms in the forest of the Logoi district, he noticed a suspicious package under the tree, in which he found a double-barreled IZH-12 gun.

The photo is illustrative in nature

The man was never a hunter, but still took a dangerous find.

He kept the gun in the basement of his private house. Knowing that any weapon is subject to mandatory state registration, he deliberately ignored the requirements of the law.

After a while, in a friendly conversation, a resident of the capital talked about the arsenal to a friend. He asked to sell him a two-barrel, and the defendant willingly agreed to the deal.

Subsequently, the fact of illegal arms trafficking was revealed by police officers. According to the expert, the gun has a number of defects, but is suitable for shooting.

From the case file

Minchanin was charged with illegal sale of hunting firearms smoothbore, that is, in committing a crime under Part 2 of Art. 295-1 of the Criminal Code.

Competent commentary

“Chapter 27 of the Criminal Code contains articles that provide for criminal liability for illegal trafficking in weapons, including for their theft and forgery, violation of the rules for handling them,” explains Alexander Zheshko, head of the Minsk Prosecutor’s Office’s Department for Supervision of Compliance with Law of Court Decisions in Criminal Cases. The suppression of illegal actions in this area is primarily aimed at preventing the grave consequences that may occur with the illegal use of dangerous items.

Deliberate illegal activities involving firearms, ammunition and explosives can have very undesirable consequences. There are many cases when citizens, upon detection of such finds, recklessly leave them for storage at home, in suburban areas or try to sell, transport or transfer them to third parties. Each of these steps inevitably entails legal liability.

I would like to draw special attention to the fact that the possession of a small number of ammunition suitable for the production of shots (even one), already forms a crime and entails criminal prosecution under Article 295 of the Criminal Code. At the same time, citizens who voluntarily handed over firearms, ammunition or explosives in their illicit traffic are completely exempt from criminal liability, except for cases of their intentional sale.

For reference

The sanction of Part 2 of Art. 295 of the Criminal Code provides for a wide range of various punishments - from fines, arrest or correctional labor for up to 2 years to restriction of liberty for up to 5 years or imprisonment for up to 7 years with or without a fine.

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