In response to Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, the Lithuanian parliament adopted amendments to allow gun owners to buy night vision sights.
Ninety lawmakers backed the proposed amendments to the Law on Control of Weapons and Ammunition, five voted against and ten abstained. The changes are set to come into force in July.
Initiated by almost 30 MPs, the amendments remove night vision sights from category A weapons that are still prohibited among civilians.
Commenting on the changes, Laurynas Kasciunas, chairman of the parliamentary Committee on National Security and Defence, said they reflected the lessons learned from the war in Ukraine.
“Night vision sights are necessary for effective defence of our country. The war is fought regardless of the time of the day, so night vision sights are necessary, not just optical ones. We see the needs of the Ukrainians and we have time to learn from them”, he said.
The sights will only be available to those who have a gun permit, while they will remain prohibited for hunting, Kasciunas said, pointing out that there were currently around 95,000 people in Lithuania who had gun permits. (LRT/Business World Magazine)
