Legal approaches to combating massacres in russia

Abstract

Objective: In recent decades, the number of mass shootings in Russian educational institutions has increased. The study aims at evaluating the effectiveness of various means of protecting an individual developed and implemented in the country. Within this objective, the authors discuss the possibility of using preventive measures against grave crimes, i.e. the death penalty enshrined in the current criminal law but not fully implemented due to the moratorium. In the emerging Russian judicial practice, the authors consider crimes committed by minors and persons between the age of 18 and 21. Methods: As part of the study, the authors review scientific works on the topic, crime statistics, and decisions of legislative authorities. Results: According to the newly developed and consolidated provisions of Russian legislation, there has been a tightening of responsibility for arms trafficking in the form of a complete ban on the acquisition of any firearms by the named persons. It has been established that the main reason for the rapid increase in massacres is not the tightening or leniency of the law but its non-compliance. In the cases under consideration, civilian firearms were acquired by young people illegally due to neglect of one’s professional duties. Conclusion: The authors believe that the measures, consisting in toughening the responsibility for the illegal circulation of civilian weapons adopted in 2021, will be more effective in preventing massacres among persons under the age of 21. As for the ability of such measures to counteract grave crimes committed by persons who have already reached this age, there are great doubts about their effectiveness. In this regard, there is a need to improve the newly adopted measures to prevent grave crimes among young people depending on their age (under or over 21).