Increased age requirements for gun buyers

In the past year, at least three bills have been proposed that would amend Russia’s statute on guns by increasing the age at which smooth-bore self-defense weapons and hunting weapons can be purchased in the country. Specifically, the bills aimed to move that limit from 18 years of age to 21. They were introduced in the State Duma by the following parties:

November 26, 2018: the parliament of Tatarstan

December 6, 2018: a group of federal senators

State Duma Vice Speaker Irina Yarovaya (promised to introduce a new bill but has not yet done so)

In response to both of the first two bills, the Russian executive branch advised the Duma that increasing the country’s gun purchasing age would “limit the labor rights of citizens between 18 and 21 years old, who would be unable to undertake labor that requires the carrying and deployment of firearms.” Executive officials also noted that the new bill would affect teenagers who take part in recreational or competitive sport shooting. Neither of the bills even passed the first of three votes required in the Duma.

Vasily Piskarev, the head of the Duma’s Security Committee, said after the shooting in Blagoveshchensk that the question of whether to raise age requirements for firearms purchases is not currently under consideration in Russia’s federal legislature.

Results: In the year following the Kerch shooting, Russia’s gun statute has not changed (with the exception of a few insignificant details). In fact, there is already a bill in play that would allow adults to lend teenagers their guns for the hunting season beginning at age 16 (16-year-olds can currently purchase firearms only in individual Russian regions).