According to the Police Department, by the end of 2022, a total of 294 Russian and 46 Belarusian citizens had permits to keep or carry weapons when the amendment was adopted. These permits have now all been revoked.
“There are two individuals whose weapons have not yet been taken. They have been contacted but are not currently in Lithuania. The weapons will be taken upon their return to Lithuania,” the Police Department informed Lithuanian state media outlet BNS.
At the beginning of the year, all affected individuals were notified in writing about the option to voluntarily sell their weapons or surrender them to the police by April 1.
Most Russian and Belarusian citizens took advantage of this opportunity, and the police collected the remaining weapons after the deadline.
“No weapons were confiscated. Most have already been sold. Some have been handed over to gun shops for consignment sale. A small number of weapons are temporarily stored at police offices,” the Police Department stated.
The ban on weapon possession for Russian and Belarusian citizens residing permanently in Lithuania was proposed by Defence Minister Laurynas Kasčiūnas, who was then the chairman of the parliamentary Committee on National Security and Defence.
He explained that the amendment to the Law on the Control of Arms and Ammunition would help prevent the formation and activities of subversive groups that support hostile states.
