LEGAL AND REGULATORY ASPECTS OF REGULATING ARMS TRAFFICKING UNDER MARTIAL LAW

Abstract

The article examines the peculiarities of the legalization of weapons in Ukraine during the period of independence and at the current stage. Today, the Ukrainian state is the only European country in which there is no legal regulation of the circulation of civilian weapons. The analysis of foreign experience showed that each country individually approaches the issue of legalization of firearms. It has been established that in world practice today there is no single universal approach to the legalization of firearms. Regulatory regulation of civilian weapons should establish a balance between the possibility of legal possession and use of weapons, as well as restrictions on the possession of weapons for civilians. In addition, the effectiveness of the normative and legal regulation of the civilian circulation of weapons depends on taking into account the specifics of Ukraine – a full-scale war, the presence of the problem of corruption, a high level of crime, a high level of illegal weapons, etc. The impact of a full-scale war on increasing interest in the legalization of firearms, the advantages, disadvantages and problems of implementing a permit for the possession and use of firearms by the civilian population is determined. The main disadvantages of the legalization of firearms are an increase in the rate of murders and suicides, an increase in the number of people convicted of exceeding the limits of necessary defense, the use of weapons in the commission of other crimes, and the danger to the police when apprehending criminals. The advantages of the legalization of weapons are the readiness of the population for self-defense in the conditions of a full-scale war; reducing the level of crimes against property; increasing the level of security in one's own home in the presence of weapons. It was clarified that the main problem of the legalization of firearms in Ukraine is the high level of corruption, which can lead to the introduction of new corruption schemes when obtaining a permit for firearms. It was concluded that it is important to implement legal regulation of civilian weapons circulation, which will establish a balance between restrictions on the use of weapons by civilians and the possibility of legal possession of weapons. In the future, it is important to investigate the possibility of implementing foreign experience to create an effective and efficient mechanism for the legalization of firearms in the conditions of war in Ukraine.