New Penalties for Unlicensed Weapons and Unauthorized Cigarette Lighter Use Published in the Official Gazette
With new regulations published in the Official Gazette, penalties for carrying unlicensed weapons and unauthorized use of strobe lights have been increased. Regulations aiming to increase deterrence in the field of internal security came into force with the aim of preventing illegal acts and ensuring public security.
Severe Sanctions for Carrying Unlicensed Weapons
With the new regulation, the lower and upper limits of prison sentences for those who carry, buy or possess weapons without a license have been increased. The lower limit, which was 1 year in the existing laws, was increased to 2 years. The upper limit was increased from 3 to 4 years. Thus, those who carry weapons without a license will face a prison sentence of between 2 and 4 years.
Offenses Related to Weapon Parts
The production, sale, transportation or possession of ballistically important parts of firearms has been criminalized. Those who commit these acts will be sentenced to imprisonment from 5 years to 12 years and a judicial fine from 500 days to 5 thousand days. In addition, those who convert blanks into real weapons will also face prison sentences. In these cases, the penalty will be reduced depending on the number and quality of the converted weapons.
Heavy Penalties for Unauthorized Use of Cigarette Lighters and Headlamps
Important regulations were also made on the unauthorized use of strobe lights and headlamps. People who use these devices in their vehicles will be fined 96 thousand liras, their driver’s licenses will be revoked for 30 days and their vehicles will be banned from traffic for the same period. In case of repeated violations, the fine amount will be increased to 192 thousand liras, driver’s licenses will be revoked for 60 days and vehicles will be banned from traffic for 60 days.
New Regulation on Weapon Losses
Sanctions for people who lose their weapons or have them stolen have also been regulated. Those who lose their weapons for the second time will only be allowed to carry or keep one weapon. In case of loss or theft for the third time, these people will not be able to obtain a weapon license for 5 years. After five years, new license applications can be considered, but again only one weapon will be allowed.
Purpose of Ensuring Public Security
The new regulations aim to prevent illegal acts that threaten public security. The penalties, which range from carrying unlicensed weapons to unauthorized use of strobes, aim to increase deterrence and ensure individual and social security.
Increasing Deterrence
Aggravating penalties for actions that can create chaos in traffic, such as unauthorized use of strobe lights, is considered an important step to maintain order in traffic. Sanctions on carrying weapons without a license and illegal use of weapon parts aim to reduce crime rates by preventing individual armament.
