The Lithuanian parliament Seimas on Thursday prohibited Russian and Belarusian citizens residing in Lithuania from possessing weapons.
Amendments to the law on Control of Weapons and Ammunition were approved with 112 MPs voting in favour, one against, and 13 abstentions.
The new law stipulates that permanent residents shall be allowed to acquire and possess weapons in Lithuania, except for Russian and Belarusian nationals who do not have Lithuanian citizenship.
People who already possess such weapons will have to give them up within one year of the law's entry into force by selling, converting, or handing them over to the police, and their weapon permits will be revoked. Failure to do so will result in confiscation.
The amendments were proposed by Laurynas Kasčiūnas, chair of the parliamentary Committee on National Security and Defence (NSGK). He argued that the changes were necessary to prevent the formation of diversion groups in Lithuania in the event of unrest.
According to NSGK data, there are currently 294 Russian and 46 Belarusian citizens in Lithuania who have permits to possess or carry weapons.
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