Following the parliament’s decision a year and a half ago to ban Russian and Belarusian citizens living in Lithuania from possessing weapons, all permits issued to them have been revoked.
According to the Police Department, 294 Russian and 46 Belarusian citizens held permits to keep or carry weapons at the end of 2022 when the amendment was adopted. All of these permits have since been revoked.
“There are two individuals whose weapons have not yet been taken. They have been contacted but are not currently in Lithuania. The weapons will be taken upon their return to Lithuania,” the Police Department told BNS.
At the beginning of the year, all persons were informed in writing about the possibility to voluntarily sell their weapons or hand them over to the police by April 1.
Most of the Russian and Belarusian citizens used this opportunity, and the remaining weapons were taken by the police after the April 1 deadline passed.
“No weapons were confiscated. Most have already been sold. Some have been handed over to gun shops for consignment sale. A small number of weapons are temporarily stored at police offices,” the Police Department said.
The ban on possessing weapons for Russian and Belarusian citizens residing permanently in Lithuania was initiated by Defence Minister Laurynas Kasčiūnas, the then-chairman of the parliamentary Committee on National Security and Defence,
The politician then said that the amendment to the Law on the Control of Arms and Ammunition would help prevent the formation and activities of subversive groups favouring hostile states.
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