TIRANA, March 14 – The Interior Ministry is preparing new measures aimed at imposing stiffer penalties against people carrying unlicensed guns after a previous initiative to introduce tougher legislation for this criminal offence was ruled as unconstitutional.
Interior Minister Saimir Tahiri told reporters that the draft might treat illegally carrying a firearm as intention to commit armed assault and therefore envisaging longer sentences.
“There are some very good models, one of which makes a distinction between carrying a weapon on you and carrying one in your vehicle or at home. We are looking at some very positive models,” Tahiri said.
According to Tahiri, illegal possession of a firearm on a person should carry a longer sentence compared to keeping an unlicensed weapon in your car or at home, which will be considered as a lesser crime, albeit a serious one.
The Interior Minister also sent a letter to President Bujar Nishani and Justice Minister Ylli Manjani to denounce the case of a judge in Vlora who allegedly set free a citizen arrested for being in possession of an illegal weapon in a public place.
Tahiri said that such court rulings risk discouraging police efforts to fight crime.
The Union of Judges has reacted to the letter the Interior Minister sent to the President by considering it as “an intimidation of judicial bodies and exertion of systematic pressure during its performance of constitutional duties.”
Meanwhile, Justice Minister Ylli Manjani said the ministry will launch an inspection on the case following the letter of the Interior Minister.
“The Ministry of Justice possesses information from several law enforcement agencies as well as Vlora citizens regarding unprofessional practices at the aforementioned court. In addition to the case brought by Interior Minister Tahiri, we will launch a general inspection at Vlora court,” Manjani said in a reply to the letter.
A previous government initiative to increase sentences for illegal weapons was ruled as unconstitutional last December by the Constitutional Court for being ‘too harsh’. The criminal code amendments rejected by the Constitutional Court increased the penalty for carrying an illegal firearm to 15 years in prison.
Despite the court’s ruling, the minister’s declarations show that authorities haven’t given up on stiffer legislation on this criminal offence.
