Daghestan Tries Buy Back Program to Get Arms Out of the Hands of the Population

Paul Goble

            Staunton, August 23 – Daghestan’s interior ministry has adopted a new tactic to get guns out of the hands of the population: Until the end of the year, it will pay people for guns they illegally possess if they turn them over to the authorities. Those who do so will be exempt from punishments of up to four years in prison for those who keep such weapons.

            “The goal of this operation,” the ministry says, “is the voluntary handing over by citizens of illegally held fire arms, military supplies and explosives” and promises that those who do hand over the weapons they have will be generously compensated (chernovik.net/content/lenta-novostey/do-konca-goda-mvd-dagestana-budet-vykupat-u-naseleniya-nezakonnoe-oruzhie-za).

            For a pistol, Daghestanis will receive 30,000 rubles (480 US dollars), for an automatic weapon, 40,000 rubles (640 US dollars), for grenades, 1500 rubles (23 US dollars). The ministry has published a list of more than 25 different kinds of weapons and explosives it will pay for with the rates for each. 

            Those Daghestanis who have such weapons or explosives and don’t take advantage of this offer, the ministry continues, will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.