Syunik Governor Discusses Self-Defense

There is a sufficient amount of weaponry available for self-defense in the border communities of Syunik Province. This was stated by the Governor of Syunik, Robert Ghukasyan, during a briefing with journalists, addressing the issue of Azerbaijani positions being very close and the need to implement security measures.

He noted that for understandable reasons, he would not disclose many details regarding this issue, but confidently emphasized that there are weapons in all border communities.

“Of course, many residents wish to have weapons with them, but that is not necessarily the right approach. We must be vigilant. You understand as well that if there are no clear regulations regarding the possession and storage of weapons, unfortunate incidents could occur. To say that there are no weapons in border villages is incorrect. They do exist,” Ghukasyan stated.

He stressed that the amount of weapons in the province is as much as the Ministry of Defense of Armenia deems necessary.

It is worth noting that the National Assembly has made amendments to the law on “Regulating the Circulation of Weapons.” According to the draft law, the use of smooth-bore firearms within less than 500 meters from populated areas and roads is prohibited, while for rifled firearms, the distance is 5000 meters.

It should be noted that the law was drafted and adopted in October 2022 and was supposed to come into force on April 28, 2023. However, the government has not been able to develop sub-legislative acts concerning the limitation of weapons circulation, civilian shooting ranges, and others, which is why the enforcement of the law has been postponed until July 1.