To the attention of Russian citizens visiting the Republic of Belarus. What owners of air guns need to know: from purchase to rules of use. Is it possible to have firearms in Belarus?

The passion for hunting and sport shooting is a hereditary habit that has been passed down from generation to generation through the centuries and still remains one of the main pleasures for many. However, with the fall of the feudal system and the development of the national economy, the rules of hunting underwent changes and over time it became, although a free occupation, but with the highest state control.

That is why the right to hunt, as well as the right to keep weapons, is legally regulated by government agencies and you can obtain a permit in the Republic of Belarus from the Ministry of Forestry at your place of residence, and in Minsk and the Minsk region from the Republican Unitary Enterprise “Belgosohota”.

The procedure for obtaining a state hunting license

According to the rules of hunting and hunting, any capable citizen of the Republic of Belarus who has reached 18 years of age can obtain a certificate. The right to hunt can also be obtained by foreign citizens who have a hunter’s certificate from their country, and stateless persons who have a residence permit in the Republic of Belarus.

To consider obtaining a state certificate, you must submit an application and the following documents:

1. Passport
2. A document confirming completion of preparation for passing a special hunting exam
3. Two 3x4 color photographs.
4. Receipt for payment of state duty.

Cost of the procedure:

• state duty (1 base value) - 210,000 rubles
• exam - 42,000 rubles
• registration in the register of hunters - 5,000 rubles

You can pay on the spot or bring a payment receipt for the specified amount to the following details:

• recipient of the payment - UE "Belgosohota", UNP: 101435427, account 3012000005262, in the ASB "Belarusbank", code 795.

After submitting your application, you will need to pass a special hunting exam in the form of a test on knowledge of environmental legislation, biology of wild animals and birds, hunting rules in the Republic of Belarus, safety rules for hunting and handling hunting weapons, hunting tools, first aid, etc. The exam is conducted by prior registration at the Republican Unitary Enterprise "Belgosohota".

Since 2014, mandatory training courses for future hunters have been introduced in Belarus. They are organized in forestry enterprises and on the basis of RUE "Belgosohota". In addition to the main form of training, Belgosohota organizes online training courses for passing a special hunting exam.

According to the latest data, 95% of applicants who complete the course successfully pass the exam and receive a hunting license, as well as a violation registration card. The decision on issuance is made by the Ministries of Forestry within a month from the day of passing the exam upon presentation of a passport.

The certificate is issued for 10 years and valid if you have a card for recording violations and paying the state fee. The fee must be paid every 12 months before the start of the hunt.

Procedure for obtaining a weapons permit

After the exam has been passed and the certificate has been received, you need to acquire something without which even illegal hunting is impossible. And since the purchase of any type of weapon on the territory of the Republic of Belarus is prohibited without a permit for its storage, the first thing you need to do is undergo a medical examination at the place of registration. The medical institution issues a special certificate stating that the potential candidate hunter has no contraindications to owning a weapon. The certificate is valid for 1 year from the date of issue.

Next, you need to prepare a place for storing weapons in a house or apartment, and after creating the necessary conditions, contact the territorial police department at your place of actual residence. There you need to provide the following documents:

• passport (residence permit);
• two photographs 3*4;
• state hunting license;
• medical certificate confirming the absence of contraindications to the possession and storage of weapons.

A candidate for a permit must write an application according to the established form and pay a state fee in the amount of one basic amount.

It should also be noted that at first you will be able to obtain permission to store only smooth-bore hunting weapons and only after 5-6 years to purchase and store a rifle with a rifled barrel. The break in the possession of smooth-bore weapons should not exceed one year.

As for the place to store weapons, it can be either a special safe or just a metal box with a lock. For greater reliability, you can attach the box to the floor or wall, and equip the room itself with an alarm or other technical security equipment. The most important criterion is that the storage location is well protected from unauthorized persons and children, so the main thing is a safe or a metal box with a lock.

After you have prepared everything, a permitting inspector will be sent to you, who will prepare the appropriate inspection report, which reflects the conditions created for storing weapons. If everything meets the established standards, the final stage of verification will begin, during which law enforcement officials must make sure that the future owner of the weapon has not been brought to administrative responsibility. It is important that you do not have an unexpunged or outstanding conviction for committing intentional crimes, as well as a number of other offenses prohibiting the purchase of weapons.

If, after an inspection carried out by internal affairs officers, no violations were identified, then the citizen is issued a purchase permit.

Happy hunting!

Rewriting sources: belohota.by, belgosohota.by

Any capable citizen of Belarus who has reached the age of 18 can apply for a hunter’s license. Foreigners can hunt only under a contract with a company that is licensed by the Ministry of Sports.

The future hunter must pass an exam

Applicant hunters can take the exam in district forestry enterprises or in regional cities, in industrial forestry associations. Although the majority of Belarusians still prefer to go to Minsk, to the Belgosohota Unitary Enterprise.

The exam consists of 12 questions, and you need to answer at least 10 correctly. But you can’t pass such an exam “from the street”—you’ll have to prepare. Firstly, read books “on the subject” in advance: the collection “Questions and answers for passing a special hunting exam”, Regulations on hunting and management of hunting in the territory of the Republic of Belarus, Hunting Rules. They can be bought at Belgosokhot or hunting stores. These books are the hunter's library, and it is advisable to have them at home.

Secondly, hunting experience, for example, with friends or father, will come in handy. After all, there are also practical questions, for example: “Methods of removing skins from fur-bearing species of game animals.”

In Belarus, you can take the exam as many times as you like, but you will have to pay for each attempt.

Having received a hunting license, you can think about joining one of the hunting societies. There are three large organizations in Belarus: the Belarusian Society of Hunters and Fishermen, the Military Hunting Society and the Dynamo Physical Culture and Sports Society. Although, if you don’t want to join anywhere, you can remain a “free shooter”.

Pros and cons of membership in a hunting society

Unfortunately, in critical situations it is not always worth counting on prompt assistance from the police or random passers-by. In these cases, self-defense weapons permitted in our country can help. Read our material about what it is and when such weapons can be used.

These are not bats and clubs

According to the Law of the Republic of Belarus “On Weapons” of November 13, 2001, self-defense weapons include:

• gas weapons - gas pistols, gas revolvers and cartridges for them;
• mechanical sprayers, aerosol and other devices filled with tear or irritant substances approved for use by the Ministry of Health of Belarus (gas cartridges);
• electroshock devices and spark gaps having output parameters that comply with the standards established by the Ministry of Health of Belarus.

Of course, in a critical situation, any available means will be useful to protect the lives of yourself and your loved ones, but you must always remember the line between defense and crime. Self-defense weapons may only be used for their intended purpose.

Paragraph 3 of Article 34 of the Criminal Code of Belarus (Necessary defense) states that “exceeding the limits of necessary defense is recognized as a discrepancy between the defense and the nature and danger of the attack, which is obvious to the person defending, when death or serious bodily injury is deliberately caused to the offender unnecessarily.”

Well, the concept of “exceeding the limits of necessary self-defense” in our legislation is quite vague, so careless or excessive use of any permitted weapon can bring the person using it to the dock.

Gas pistol

Before purchasing a gas pistol, you must contact the permitting department of the police department at your place of residence. After they issue a permit, you will need to undergo a medical examination at the clinic and obtain a certificate from the narcological and psychoneurological dispensaries that you are not registered there.

Having collected all these documents, you again go to the police station, where the permitting inspector of the police department makes a decision on the advisability of issuing you a permit to purchase, store, carry and use gas weapons. After purchasing the weapon, you will need to register it within 10 days.

Pros:

high rate of fire due to the large magazine capacity (up to 10 rounds, no longer permitted by law);

long range of destruction - 3−4 meters;

psychological impact, a gas pistol cannot always be distinguished from a combat pistol;

the loud sound of a shot also serves as a factor of psychological pressure;

allows you to fight off stray dogs.

Minuses:

difficult to use in confined spaces;

uncomfortable to wear, especially in summer clothes;

the cartridge often jams in the chamber, which makes the pistol unusable;

The case of some samples is quite fragile (especially cheap Chinese models).

Gas revolver

The principle of operation is the same as that of a pistol, the advantages and disadvantages are the same. However, revolvers provide higher reliability compared to pistols.

But there is an exception to the rule: for some time there were revolvers in circulation that were designed to fire several types of cartridges and were equipped with replaceable inserts for the cylinder sockets. These models do not shine with reliability.

Also, cheap models suffer from displacement of the primer when shooting, which can lead to a delay in the rotation of the drum. Therefore, even a slight protrusion of the primer above the end of the bottom of the cartridge case is a serious defect that can lead to weapon failure.

In conclusion, I would like to remind you that, according to Belarusian legislation, it is forbidden to fire from a distance less than 1 meter from the muzzle to the target.

Serious harm can be caused to a criminal, and for this he will have to answer before the law. But it often happens that an armed attacker is much closer.

You also need to remember that it is forbidden to carry gas weapons or ammunition in your pockets; you need a holster for this.

Shocker

Of all the available means of self-defense, a stun gun is one of the most effective and is many times superior to the same gas spray. In addition, most models of stun guns are quite compact and disguised as harmless objects: flashlights, lighters, tubes of lipstick - and no permission is required to purchase them.

But the shocker has one main drawback - a small coverage area. In order to hit the criminal, you need to touch him, so you need to have a good reaction so that the attacker cannot intercept your hand.

If the attack occurs in winter, then the shocker may be useless against thick, warm clothing (manufacturers usually indicate the thickness of the “pierced” clothing). And some weak shockers do not work at all in frosty air.

A stun gun will not cause injury to the criminal and does not pose a danger to the vital functions of the attacker’s body, but it can incapacitate the attacker for some time. In addition, when a stun gun is discharged, ozone is released, which dogs are afraid of.

Gas cartridges

To purchase a gas canister, you do not need any permits, and they are sold everywhere. But efficiency often leaves much to be desired.

Gas cartridges can be filled with tear irritants CN, CS, oleoresin capsicum (OC) and pelargonic acid morpholide (PAM).

It is not worth buying a canister equipped with CN. Its effectiveness as a means of self-defense is low, and it has almost no effect on drunks and drug addicts.

CS has a good effect on people, but is completely useless when used against most dogs. OS and MPC also work well against drunken hooligans.

Also, when choosing a can, you need to know that they are divided into aerosol and jet. The former are completely useless in strong winds and, when used indoors, can harm the owner.

The latter have a longer range and can be used in windy conditions and in small spaces (for example, in an elevator). But they differ in the difficulty of aiming a jet of irritating composition.

Customers purchasing air pistols in our online store and other individuals often have a number of identical questions regarding legal regulations, rights to use, purchase and carry the products offered. In this regard, the team of our company will try to decipher the “Law of the Republic of Belarus on Weapons” as clearly as possible and give clear answers to the most common questions.

1. Is permission required to purchase a product such as pneumatics in Belarus?

Dear customers! The product presented on our site is not subject to mandatory registration, and its purchase does not require a medical certificate or permission from the internal affairs authorities. Remember:

A) Pneumatic weapons with muzzle energy exceeding 7.5 J are subject to registration.

B) Weapons with muzzle energy below 3 J are not pneumatic weapons, but belong to products structurally similar to pneumatic weapons.

C) Our store sells pneumatic pistols with muzzle energy up to 3 J, so by ordering purchases on our portal, you can protect yourself, your family, and those around you from problems with the law.

D) The sale of air pistols is carried out to persons whose age is at least 18 years. In case of doubtful circumstances, the courier site has the right to ask the buyer to provide a passport.

2. I want to buy a pneumatic gun in Belarus and walk around the city in crowded places with the new toy. Will I have problems if I meet with internal affairs officers?

There will be problems only if:

1. The air pistol will be in full combat readiness, that is, loaded.

2.The pistol will be carried without a holster.

3.You will shoot at passers-by or damage other people's property.

Remember! Even if you comply with the norms of the legislation of the Republic of Belarus, but internal affairs officers have a biased attitude towards you, do not be alarmed and do not defend your rights, but ask:

1.Show your ID.

2. Find out the reason for the detention.

3.Show the product passport. If you don’t have your passport with you, drive home and hand the pistol passport to the person who made the arrest and seized the pistol.

4.Do they want to check whether the weapon complies with the law? Yes, please, let them check, but they will not forget to return it to you along with your passport, as well as a document confirming the legality of the experiment.

5. After checking the pneumatics, your property must be returned, otherwise you have the right to file a complaint with higher authorities. Don’t forget to write down the details of the person who made the arrest and save copies of the protocol, which may be needed in the future.

4.Can I kill someone with my new toy?

Air pistols, which can be purchased in the online store website, are designed to improve shooting skills and outdoor activities. The use of this type of weapon to injure citizens of the Republic of Belarus, foreigners, stateless persons, and other people's property will lead to the imposition of administrative penalties and criminal liability in accordance with the severity of the harm caused.

Remember! Such games can have irreversible consequences for you! You can kill and maim a person with a stick, a stone, a slingshot, and even a spoon. Do not use air pistols to shoot people and animals, because someday this will lead to the fact that even such harmless toys cannot be purchased without special permission.

5.Will it break a champagne bottle?

We do not test each gun for penetration, as this will cause you to receive a used item. If you shoot at glass bottles, do not forget to clean up the fragments and debris after yourself. When shooting at plastic bottles, fill them with water, otherwise the gun will not pierce the container, but will throw it out of place.

Information can be sent to the email address [email protected].

6.Where can you shoot with an air pistol?

In accordance with the legislation of the Republic of Belarus, you can shoot from air pistols in specially equipped places, outside the city, outside populated areas, but the distance to the nearest living soul must be at least 300 meters.

Do not test the destructive power of pneumatic weapons from the window of your house, entrance, or on the street! Otherwise, you risk harming others, other people’s property, and even loved ones, for which you will incur criminal and administrative liability.

7.Do I need a safe to store an air pistol with a muzzle energy of up to 3 J?

No need for a safe! If you have children or people who are capable of using the product without your permission, do not know how to use it, or can harm themselves and others, hide it in an inaccessible place.

8.I want to buy an air pistol for my child, but he is under 18 years old, what should I do?

Remember! The use of air pistols by minors is prohibited unless there is an adult nearby who can bear responsibility for the child. Do not let children use pistols freely, to show off to girlfriends and friends, even when unloaded.

9. Is there anything more powerful?

It is not and will not be more powerful until changes are made to the law on “Weapons” of the Republic of Belarus.

10. Are there gas springs?

If you haven’t found anything for yourself in our assortment, it doesn’t mean that we are hiding something in our bins. Gas springs and pistons for air rifles have the right to sell only to hunting stores with a license.

11. I was caught with a pistol, it was confiscated, and now I am threatened with criminal liability. What will happen?

The only thing we can advise you is to seek help from lawyers. Only they can take responsibility for your future. We cannot guarantee that our opinion will be objective.

12. Where can the air pistol be loaded?

A loaded air pistol can be stored at your home, as well as at an organized shooting range or shooting range. In a car or around the city, transportation is carried out in a discharged state, covered and together with the product passport. In this case, when meeting with employees of internal affairs bodies, questions are excluded.

13. Is hunting with air guns allowed on the territory of the Republic of Belarus?

Hunting with air guns is prohibited. Such killing is not humane, because the animal may suffer while dying or escape wounded, after which it will die from infection.

We wish you a pleasant stay and successful shopping in the online store ReZon.by!

The permit system was founded back in the 60s, when the USSR existed. After its collapse, Russia, Ukraine and Belarus inherited many legal principles, and if in Russia there were fundamental changes regarding the licensing activities of authorities, then in Belarus the structure remained unchanged. Under the Ministry of Internal Affairs, licensing departments have been created at police departments that deal with the licensing and registration of civilian weapons.

The rules for the acquisition and storage of weapons are prescribed in the law “On Weapons”, which has registration number 61-Z, dated November 13, 2001.

Naturally, today this law is relevant in one of the latest editions, but this has nothing to do with our question. Article 14 of this law sets out all the rules for the acquisition of civilian weapons, as well as ammunition for them.

Quoting the article will not bring the desired understanding that needs to be conveyed to citizens so that they have the opportunity to obtain a weapons permit in Belarus. We will use the basic provisions and, based on them, describe a detailed algorithm for registering weapons.

First a hunting permit, and then a license

Civilian weapons are not limited to hunting weapons, they are traumatic weapons, gas weapons, edged weapons, sports weapons and self-defense weapons. For all of the above types, you must obtain a special permit from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. But for hunters, this path will be somewhat longer, since in order to obtain a license for a hunting weapon, you need to prove that it will be used only for hunting activities, and for this you will need to present a hunting permit issued in advance. That is why we will begin the story of how to obtain a weapons permit in the Republic of Belarus with secondary issues.

By contacting the territorial executive authority through the Ministry of Forestry. Let us immediately note that there are age requirements for candidates. The citizen must be an adult. A foreign citizen also has the right to obtain a hunting license; he must have all permits valid in his country. Persons who have a residence permit in the Republic of Belarus are also given the right to receive a certificate.

Your passport must be presented when submitting any application. The situation with hunting permits was no exception. A package of documents is collected here, so you should make photocopies of all completed pages of your passport.

The training of hunters, as well as the training of future gun owners in Belarus, is treated conscientiously, so a simple unsubscribe will not do. It will not be enough to simply familiarize yourself with the hunting rules. You must complete a training course (you can even do it remotely) and then pass an exam.

Photos measuring 3 x 4 cm must be in color. Two photographs must be provided. Headwear or sunglasses are not allowed.

Hunting permits, unfortunately, are not issued free of charge. Its registration will be possible only after payment of the state fee.

Returning to the training, it should be emphasized that the theoretical course includes knowledge of legislation, knowledge of safety precautions, first aid, as well as some questions on animal biology. The licensed enterprise Belgosohota is practically a monopolist in this area. It operates in several regions of the republic. Not long ago, the official website was launched, where anyone can study remotely.

Upon successful passing of the exam, which is organized in the form of answers to questions on the ticket, the citizen is issued a hunter's certificate. It will be valid for 10 years, but only if you have a special card for recording violations and recording the payment of the fee. By the way, the next payment is made every 12 months.

Passing a medical examination

The received hunter's certificate is just a document necessary for obtaining a license (except for its value during hunting). But it does not yet give the right to purchase weapons. The above permission, as we have already mentioned, is needed to register a hunting rifle. In the case of purchasing other types of weapons, the paperwork procedure begins with a medical examination.

A medical certificate can be obtained at a regular clinic. To do this, you need to contact the pre-medical office and indicate that the commission is being held in order to obtain a weapons permit. The citizen will be given a list of doctors, among whom a psychiatrist and a narcologist are required. Only after checking all the specialists does the therapist issue the coveted certificate.

Submission of documents

In principle, everything is almost ready to apply for a license. You must report to the local police department at your place of residence. The attendant will tell you which office to contact. Usually, next to the office where licensing issues are dealt with, there is an information stand. There you need to find a sample application and draw it up in advance.

Please note that the issuance of a weapons license, as well as the issuance of a hunting license, is paid. Having found out the payment details from the employee, you must pay the state fee.

Submitting an application is accompanied by the provision of some other documents.

• These include a passport, or rather a photocopy of the completed pages.
• Two photographs measuring 3 by 4 cm are submitted. They must be in black and white format (not to be confused with photographs for a hunter’s ID).
• A hunter's certificate is presented when applying for a permit to purchase hunting weapons.
• The medical certificate must, naturally, contain such testimony from doctors that it is permissible to purchase weapons.

It is important to remember that citizens who do not have experience in owning weapons will not be able to immediately purchase rifled weapons. To begin with, you need to own a smooth-bore weapon for 5 years, and then register a rifled weapon. But the break in service should not exceed one year.

Do not forget to take care of the arrangement of the storage place for the purchased weapons. The most important requirement is the presence of a metal box or safe. This box must have a locking mechanism to prevent unauthorized entry and, moreover, to protect the weapon from children. The box is screwed to the floor or to the wall, depending on its shape and dimensions. The safe is inspected by a local inspector. The examination procedure is initiated by employees of the permitting department, and not by the applicant. Based on the results of the inspection, the policeman draws up a report, which he submits to the department.

A citizen also does not have to prove his right to obtain a permit in terms of his lack of a criminal record or administrative offenses. Relevant requests are also carried out by department employees. The check takes place quite quickly, since the department is under the authority of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. If the request does not reveal any incriminating information, then after a while the citizen will receive permission allowing him to go to a weapons store and buy the desired weapon.

Registration of purchased weapons

The essence of the licensing system, in addition to issuing licenses, comes down to recording all civilian weapons. Each purchased barrel must be registered. It must be submitted for inspection so that experts can determine whether its technical parameters comply with the indicators stated in the documentation.

In order to go to the police department after purchasing a barrel, the owner has only 10 days. It is not recommended to violate these temporary norms, since the fines for non-compliance with the rules for registering weapons are quite significant.

After the barrel is registered, you need to wait some more time. It cannot be used either in self-defense or hunting. By and large, it is not possible to store it yet, since the citizen has not received a license to store and carry it; it will be ready after registration in a few days. Don't forget that the license has a limited validity period. After three years, this document will have to be renewed. This procedure is very similar to the algorithm for obtaining permission described above.