Poroshenko not supports petition for bearing arms

The President notes that he supports the mechanism for e-petitions, but reminds that only 11% of Ukrainians advocates granting the right to bear arms.

As Censor.net Ukrainian news website reports, the President of Ukraine said this in an interview with Ukrainian TV channels. When asked about the petition for legalization of firearms, he noted that the signatories of the petition were not the whole of society.

“I strongly support the mechanism for petitions, but it’s not the will of the people yet. It’s drawing of attraction,” the President said.

According to his data, only 11% of Ukrainians support bearing of arms, while 82% stand against.

“Of course, my view coincides with the point of view of 82% of Ukrainians,” he said.

Poroshenko stressed that he did not support those who want to walk along the streets with the guns, thus destabilizing the situation in the cities far from the ATO area.

“If you want to use weapons, please sign up as a volunteer or a military volunteer, undergo studies and pass the test … Now we have a very important function of national defense and we badly need you now. Do you want to use the weapons against civilians? We will not allow doing that and you will be held liable,” the President said.

As a reminder, the e-petition for the right to bear firearms was registered on the website of the President of Ukraine on August 29. It collected 27,605 votes out of required 25,000 in a week.

Earlier, the experts discussed whether Ukrainians were responsible enough for use of weapons, whether the crime rate would decrease after legalizing arms, and whether arms legalization would step up the country’s defensive capacity.