Laci: In Albania, citizens possess 200,000 pieces of firearms

Journalist and analyst from Tirana, editor at News 24, Dritan Laci stated that the incident in Cetinje is not isolated when it comes to the Western Balkans, and that estimates indicate that in Albania, citizens possess 200,000 pieces of firearms.

"What happened in Montenegro is not something isolated or unusual for the Balkans. Albanians, as part of the Balkans, are closely associated with the gun, even calling it a 'trophy'. In a recent incident in Shkodër where a young man was killed, the perpetrator had owned the weapon since 1997. This event also shows how our society addresses the issue of illegal weapons when someone has been in possession of a weapon since 1997," says Laci for Kosovo Online. Estimates highlight that up to 200,000 pieces of various firearms are held in Albanian families.

"This weapon is kept hidden and used during various conflicts that the owners have with other people," he specifies.

He notes that the number of criminal incidents is on the rise in the Western Balkans, and that "the mentality of people and weapons go hand in hand."

"Albanians, due to tradition, more or less like other Balkan peoples, have weapons as an inseparable part of themselves. There have often been weapon collection campaigns in Albania, but it seems that these actions have failed due to the lack of security structures in various parts of the country. A new campaign has started in which people are first warned to surrender their weapons, then a collection and storage action will follow. However, people are skeptical about the success of this initiative," says Laci.

He adds that the problem in collecting illegal weapons is because only a small number keep them in their homes.

"Few people keep weapons at home. Most Albanians have hidden them, so finding them would require special structures, perhaps even engineering units," this analyst specifies.

He explains that the issue of weapons possession in Albania is regulated by a specific law, but that this issue is still not resolved as in other countries.

"In Albania, there is a law that regulates possession of weapons with a permit, but this is mainly for what is called 'light weapons', but not for weapons such as rifles or 'Kalashnikovs'. The law applies to hunting weapons, or when a person carries a weapon for public functions. However, this is not a weapon law like that in the USA or any other country. For this reason, possession of weapons in Albania is still considered illegal," specifies Laci.