Systemic measures only way to prevent gun violence against civilians – MP

Preventing cases of armed violence against civilians is possible only through systemic measures, including full weapons accounting and control over the origin and storage of firearms, a member of the Verkhovna Rada committee on national security, defense and intelligence, MP from the European Solidarity faction Iryna Friz has said.

"To minimize the risk of such tragedies recurring in the future, we need professional systemic solutions, not playing on emotions. This means full weapons accounting, strict control over their origin and storage, data-sharing among all law enforcement agencies, tougher liability for illegal arms trafficking, and also clear and exhaustive protocols for law enforcement action in such cases," Friz told Interfax-Ukraine on Monday.

According to her, in the 12th year of war, the issue of illegal weapons has become one of the key challenges to the country's internal security, and the authorities no longer have the right to ignore it. Friz said the enemy will actively try to exploit the "gray zone" in which illegal arms circulation currently exists.

"The authorities are obliged not only to give this crime a legal assessment, but also to give society an honest answer: how did it become possible for an armed person to gain the opportunity to kill people in the capital, and why did the existing prevention mechanisms fail," the MP said.

Answering a question about whether legalizing short-barreled firearms for self-defense is advisable, Friz said: "Such decisions cannot be made under the influence of emotions after another tragedy. First, the authorities must create a full-fledged control system: a single register, real inspections, mandatory training, strict eligibility criteria for gun ownership and inevitable liability for violations. Only after that is a substantive legislative discussion possible on the model for civilian circulation of short-barreled firearms."

As reported, on April 18, an unidentified man opened fire in the street in Holosiyivsky district of the capital and took hostages in a shop. After an assault by National Police Rapid Operational Response Unit (KORD), the attacker was killed. According to law enforcement, the shooter was a 58-year-old native of Moscow, a Ukrainian citizen who had previously lived in Bakhmut, Donetsk region, and later in Kyiv. According to the Interior Ministry, he used a registered weapon.

Seven wounded people remain in Kyiv hospitals as a result of the shooting, while the death toll has risen to seven.