Kill Maniac Barehanded

Putin allowed Russians to fight to the last
It would make sense to allow the population to take care of its security if the government cannot protect people from crime. For example, the population might be allowed to purchase, keep and carry guns for self-defense. However, these measures will never work in Russia.

So, ordinary people have to rely on their fists only to repulse attacks of bandits. It is important that now the Criminal Code does not stipulate for any limits of permitted self-defense. This fact may be used as a strong argument against street hooligans - and you will see if they are afraid of the innovation or not.

RIA Novosti reports, that starting with December 16 the responsibility for exceeding the self-defense limits is cancelled in Russia. First Deputy Head of the RF Interior Ministry's legal department Tatyana Moskalkova says that according to amendments to the RF Criminal Code approved by the president on December 8, 2003, a man defending himself is not responsible for exceeding the self-defense limits in case if an attack came suddenly and the man failed to estimate the degree of danger.

Until recently, part two of clause 37 of the RF Criminal Code stipulated that intentional doings disagreeing with the danger of an attack was considered as exceeding the limits of self-defense, Tatyana Moskalkova says. She adds that a man defending himself must not be bounded by any limiting measures of self-defense. What is more, she hopes that the number of crimes with usage of guns will not increase because of the innovation.

If the state cannot guarantee protection from criminals to the people, it would be logic to allow the population to take care of their security. The issue has been the topic of stormy discussions for several years already, however the problem is not settled yet. Supporters of permissive actions (weapon producers) say thus people may have additional guarantees of their security. What is more, the actions may put an end to illegal arms traffic; this business will become legal and taxable. Those who hold illegal guns now will get out of the underground, register and become controllable.

In October, the RF State Duma passed amendments to the law "About weapons" according to which deputies may be rewarded with pistols with their names engraved on for some outstanding deserts. 303 members of the parliament agree to have pistols. But the amendments do not allow ordinary people carry weapons. Member of the Duma Security Committee Gennady Gudkov says that 70 per cent of alcohol addicted people and 2 million bandits are unregistered in Russia, and Russia risks to turn into a country of unregistered gangsters if the amendments to the law on weapons are passed. The statistics reported by chairman of the Civil Weapons movement's federal council Andrey Vasilevsky says that about 5 million people hold weapons legally, but just 0.001 percent of grave crimes is connected with usage of these weapons. 

Weapons producers hold up the US, Finland and Sweden as an example: people in these countries may purchase guns on a legal basis. At the same time, the crime rate in these countries, with the exception of the US, is not that high. Moldova has become the only former Soviet republic that risks to hold an experiment and sells weapons to the population. Russia will not venture upon holding this kind of an experiment. So, people have to rely upon their fists only to protect themselves.

Vitautas Lopata, deputy of the Kaliningrad regional Duma says: "Hunting rifles, gas pistols, gas aerosols and electroshocks are not enough for self-defense of Russians. The practice of secret carrying of charged weapons reduces the crime rate. If people hold pistols they will be able to guarantee their safety, to defend the interests of their own, of the interests of the society and the government."
 
The RF Constitution recognizes the right of every citizen to protect his rights and freedoms in any legal way.