Citizens may register the following types of weapons:
- semi-automatic or repeating firearm,
- short barrel single shot firearm,
- short barrel single shot rim fire firearm not longer than 28 cm,
- semi-automatic long barrel firearm in which, together with the inside magazine and the cartridge chamber, there can be no more than three bullets,
- semi-automatic long barrel firearm in which, together with the magazine and the cartridge chamber, there can be no more than three bullets, and whose magazine, or magazine spring, is removable,
- repeating and semi-automatic long barrel unrifled firearm not longer than 60 cm,
- repeating long barrel firearm not included in point 6,
- semi-automatic long barrel firearm not included in points 4, 5, and 7,
- long barrel single shot firearm with one or more rifled barrels,
- long barrel single shot firearms with one or more unrifled barrels,
- old weapons, combined weapons.
Obtaining weapons
Weapons can be only obtained based on the approval of the competent organizational unit of the Republic of Srpska Ministry of the Interior on the territory where the natural person resides, i.e. the legal person and entrepreneurs who made the request for the authorization have headquarters.
The following documents should be attached to the request for authorization to obtain a firearm:
• a copy of the identity card,
• a certificate that there are no criminal proceedings in progress against the person for committing a criminal offence prosecuted ex officio, except for criminal offences against traffic safety,
• a certificate that there are no minor offence proceedings in progress against the person for committing a minor offence with elements of violence in the field of public order and peace,
• a certificate issued by an authorized health organization on medical fitness for possession and carrying weapons (not older than six months),
• a certificate issued by an authorized organization on professional training in handling firearms and,
• a proof of payment of an administrative fee in the amount of 30, 00 BAM.
- certificate of having no criminal record (information from criminal and minor offense records shall be officially checked, and if the competent body is not able to officially perform the check due to different regulation rules of the matter in other legislations, the person shall be instructed to personally submit the necessary information).
- When obtaining hunting weapon, in addition to the documents mentioned above, along with the request, it is necessary to attach the certificate on hunting exam passed and the certificate of being a member of a hunting organization.
- When obtaining sport weapon, in addition to the documents mentioned above, it is necessary to attach the certificate of being a member of a sport shooting organization.
- The approval for obtaining weapon shall be valid for six months from the date it was issued.
- The following persons shall be exempted from mandatory training for handling firearms: the persons who perform or used to perform duties of a police officer, security agency members for providing security to persons and property, professional soldiers, reserve military officers and persons who have registered firearm as well as other persons who can prove that, through education and other forms of training, they were enabled to handle firearms.
- By submitting the request for approval to obtain a weapon of the same type based on a valid weapons permit, a person does not prove they meet the requirements mentioned above.
The approval to obtain a weapon shall be issued to a legal person or an entrepreneur who prove they have a justified reason to obtain a weapon, if their employee’s job activities include providing security services, and if they meet general and special conditions for obtaining weapons defined by the Law.
Obtaining important parts of weapon
The owner of weapon may obtain important parts of a weapon if they have a valid document for the weapon, but it is mandatory to report it to the competent body.
Obtaining ammunition
Ammunition may be obtained only for the type of weapon for which a person has a valid weapon document.
Making ammunition
Shooting and hunting organizations, and their members that have registered weapons and that are trained for handling explosive materials, may make ammunition based on the approval of the competent authority.
Issuing weapon licence/ permission for keeping weapon and its validity
- A natural person to whose name the permit for purchasing weapons was issued shall submit the request for issuing weapon licence within eight days from obtaining weapons.
- A legal person to whose name the permit for obtaining weapon was issued shall submit the request for issuing the permit for keeping weapon within eight days from obtaining the weapon.
- The following documents shall be attached to the request for issuing weapon licence/ permission for keeping weapon:
- a proof of weapons’ origin ( receipt, purchasing contract, document confirming that weapons were inherited, etc.) ,
- a proof of payment of an administrative fee for submitting the request in the amount of 30.00 BAM, and
- a proof of payment of a reimbursement for weapon licence request form in the amount of 20.00 BAM.
- Weapon licence for keeping weapons shall be issued for an indefinite period, except for the firearms licence for personal security whose validity period is 10 (ten) years since the date of issuance, except for persons older than 65 whose weapon licence is issued with permanent validity.
- Weapon licence for the same types of weapons, obtained on the basis of valid weapon licence, shall be issued with a validity period of the firearms licence based on which a weapon is purchased.
- Weapon licence for exchanged weapon shall valid until the expiry date of the weapon licence that is being exchanged.
- Three weapon licences may be issued to hunting and sports weapons, and owned different persons, with firearm owner’s certified agreement.
- The licence for keeping weapons shall be issued to a legal person or an entrepreneur for an indefinite period.
Weapon exchange
- Natural persons may exchange weapon mutually if their weapon licence are for the same type of weapon.
- Weapon exchange may be performed by a natural person, a legal person, or entrepreneur at an authorised weapon dealer only for the type of weapon for which there is a weapon licence, i.e. licence for keeping weapons, based on ’old-for-new’ trade system.
Licence for carrying weapon
- A request for issuing licence for carrying weapons, with the receipt of paid administrative fee in the amount of 30 BAM, shall be submitted to the competent authority, and given reasons shall be accompanied by evidence that support claims made in the request.
- The licence for carrying weapon shall be issued based on decision according to which carrying weapon is approved, provided that the fee in the amount of 30 BAM is paid for the licence form.
The licence for carrying weapons shall be valid as long as there are reasons for its issuing, but no longer than the expiry date of weapon licence based on which it was issued.
Old weapons
- The licence for keeping old weapons shall be issued to a natural person at their request for an indefinite period if that person meets general and special requirements for obtaining weapon.
- The licence for keeping old weapons shall be issued to a legal person or an entrepreneur at their request for an indefinite period, if they have justified reasons for obtaining weapon.
Collector’s Licence
The competent authority may issue a collector's license to the natural person who owns at least ten different registered weapons and has spatial and technical conditions.
Weapons with the obligation to report
Without a prior approval of the competent authority, persons older than 21, legal persons and entrepreneurs may purchase and keep the following weapons:
- gas weapons,
- the reproduction of firearms in which bullet with central or rim fire is not used,
- air weapons/guns with kinetic energy of 10.05J or more, or the speed of projectiles of 200 m/s or higher, and calibre bigger than 4.5 mm,
- archery weapons of tensile force higher than 450N, i.e. archery weapons of tensile weight of more than 101 pounds?
- mortars, and
- trophy weapons.
Trophy weapons
A natural person is obliged to report trophy weapons, and along with their request, to submit evidence on weapons’ origin and certificate issued by the authorized organization that the weapons are unusable.
Procedure in case of missing weapons, weapons owner’s death, inheriting weapons and leaving the place of residence
- The missing weapons or documents shall be reported to the competent authority immediately, and no later than 48 hours, and a certificate on reporting lost weapons is issued.
- In case of owner’s death, family members are obliged to inform the competent authority and hand over weapons within 30 days since the owner’s death.
- Within six months from the date of enactment of the decision, a person that inherits weapons is obliged to:
- submit request for issuing weapon licence with the proof of meeting requirements regulated by the Law,
- find the buyer himself,
- keep the weapon as a trophy,
- hand over the weapon so it becomes the property of the Republic of Srpska
- If the deceased person has no heir, the weapon shall become the property of the Republic of Srpska.
- If the legal heirs of deceased person do not take weapon from the competent authority within three year since they handed it over, the weapon shall become the property of the Republic of Srpska.
Leaving the place of residence
- For his personal security, a weapon owner who is leaving the place of residence for more than 60 days is obliged to hand over weapons and ammunition for safekeeping to the competent authority.
- An owner of hunting and sporting weapons, leaving the place of residence for more than 60 days, is obliged to hand over weapons and ammunition for safekeeping to the competent authority, an authorized weapon dealer, or natural person who has the appropriate document for this type of weapon and conditions for its accommodation.
- In case a person who possesses weapon changes residence, they shall inform the competent authority in place of the new residence that they own a weapon.
Confiscation of weapons
The competent public security center shall confiscate weapons and ammunition, weapon licence, permission to keep weapons, licence to carry weapons, if:
-a person obtains a weapon without the permission issued by the competent authority,
-a person does not meet some of the regulated requirements for obtaining weapon,
-it is in the interest of the security, and
-a person does not act in accordance with other provisions of the Law on weapons and ammunition.
Trade and transport of weapons and ammunition
- Trade of weapons, important pieces of weapons and ammunition may be performed by legal persons and entrepreneurs that were issued the permission for it by the competent authority, before being entered into the court register i.e. entrepreneurs register.
- Permission to perform trade of weapons shall be issued if:
- space and technical requirements are met for the placement and storing weapons are met, so that those weapons, ammunition and their parts do not come in the possession of unauthorized persons thus endangering the safety of people and facilities.
- a representative of a legal person, i.e. entrepreneur meets general requirements for obtaining weapons, and a person who directly handles weapons meets general and specific requirements for purchasing weapons regulated by the Law.
- Broking in transport of weapon, ammunition, and important parts may be performed by legal persons and entrepreneurs that were issued the permission for it by the competent body, before being entered in court register i.e. entrepreneur register.
- Permission for broking in transport shall be issued if:
- a person submits a proof of the ownership or office space lease contract
- representatives of a legal person, i.e. entrepreneur, as well as persons employed with legal persons or entrepreneur meet general requirements for obtaining weapons
- For transporting weapons, parts of weapons and ammunition, a permission of the competent authority to a legal person or entrepreneur shall be issued.
Repairing and modifying weapons
- Repairing and modifying weapons may be performed by legal persons and entrepreneurs that were issued the permission for it by the competent authority, before being entered into a court register, i.e. entrepreneur register.
- Permission to perform the abovementioned activities shall be issued if:
- space and technical requirements are met for the placement and storing weapons, so that those weapons, ammunition and their parts do not come in the possession of unauthorized persons thus endangering the safety of people and facilities, and
- a representative of a legal person, i.e. entrepreneur meets general requirements for obtaining weapons, and a person who directly handles weapons, meets general and specific requirements for obtaining weapons regulated by the Law.
- Authorized weapons service centres can repair and modify only weapons that have valid licence.
Civil shooting range
- Civil shooting range for performing sport and other activities can be established by legal person and entrepreneur that were issued the permission for it by the competent authority, before being entering into a court register, i.e. entrepreneur register.
- Permission for establishing civil shooting range shall be issued if:
- space and technical requirements are met for the placement and storing weapons, so that those weapons, ammunition and their parts do not come in the possession of unauthorized persons thus endangering the safety of people and facilities, and
- a representative of a legal person, i.e. entrepreneur meets general requirements for obtaining weapons, and a person who directly handles weapons, meets general and specific requirements for obtaining weapons regulated by the Law.
Termination of proceeding
Legal heirs who have not taken the weapon that was being kept by the competent authority for three years, and which was found at the competent authority at the date of entry into force of the Law (12 April 2016), are required to take it or to start a procedure of returning weapon within six months since the day of entry into force of this Law, and if not, the weapon shall become the property of the Republic of Srpska.
Weapons legislation
A person who possesses a weapon with no weapon documents, which was not registered according to the previous regulations, is obliged to submit a request for issuing documents not later than 31 December 2016.
When applying, a person is not obliged to prove the origin of a weapon.
Amnesty
On the date of entry into force of the Law, a person who possesses weapons, ammunition, explosive and other weapons whose obtaining, keeping and carrying is forbidden by this Law, is obliged to hand it over to the competent authority immediately .
A person who voluntarily hands over a weapon shall not be charged for illegal possession.
Regarding obtaining, keeping and carrying weapons and ammunition, provisions of the Law on Weapons and Ammunition shall be also applied to the foreign citizens who have been granted a permanent residence on the territory of the Republic of Srpska.
