In recent years, mass attacks on educational institutions have become widespread in various countries.If such tragedies were previously known to the world from the West, now they are known from all over the world, including Russia. Last year, the former Soviet Union countries were shocked by the tragic events in Russia: 15 people were killed by gunmen at Perm University and Kazan high school. Given the common information space shared between Russia and Central Asian countries, there is no guarantee that a bad example will be followed by the region. In the context of Kyrgyzstan, where several political and interethnic clashes have left hundreds of weapons in the hands of citizens, there are grounds for concern about public security.


According to the Ministry of Interior Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic, no cases of carrying and use of guns have been registered at educational institutions. However, in 2018, a pupil of the 8th grade brought a traumatic gun of his brother to school. He accidentally shot his classmate in the shoulder.


If we analyse news feeds, the country records various crimes and offences with the use of firearms more often.

Moreover, it is fancy among the Kyrgyzstanis to shoot into the air during weddings, and post photos with firearms on social media. There are facts of using firearms in road conflicts, domestic conflicts, etc. These facts are just a small portion of crime news of the country.

According to the General Prosecutor’s Office, firearms are often used in armed assaults in Kyrgyzstan. Usually, suspects are previously convicted persons.

According to the Ministry of Interior Affairs, 34,157 amateur hunters are registered in the republic, which have 43,772 units of hunting weapons, including 8,309 rifled guns and 35,463 smoothbore guns. Also, citizens have 9,952 gas and traumatic guns for self-defence.

Currently, Kyrgyzstan has 63 hunting shops. Nikolai is the sales assistant at one of such old shops in Bishkek. Prices here start from 10 thousand som (just above 100 dollars). Traumatic firearms start from 14-25 thousand som (150-300 dollars), hunting weapons start from 13 thousand som (150 dollars). Also, there are expensive firearms that cost up to 500 thousand som (6 thousand dollars) and more. These are mainly sports weapons.

According to Nikolai, demand for firearms in Kyrgyzstan has declined sharply in recent years. His colleague from another shop has confirmed this trend.

“If we sell one weapon per month, it’s good for us. In 2010, we sold 2-3 units,” he said. Nikolai relates the slumping demand with high hunting fees and toughened process of gun licencing.

Kyrgyzstan has nearly 50 hunting organisations. Persons joining the association pay a lump-sum entry fee. The relevant managing body of the organisation sets fee rates. For example, an entry fee is 500 som, daily membership fee is 1,000 som.

According to law, weapons belonging to citizens must be kept at their house in such conditions as to ensure their safety and security and prevent access by unauthorised persons. The interior affairs bodies may check storage conditions of guns at their owners’ place of residence.

In 9 months of this year, the Ministry of Interior Affairs drew up almost 13 thousand reports for violating the storage conditions of guns, 7.5 thousand citizens received warnings. 604 units of guns were withdrawn for the violation.

Major General, security expert, ex-deputy of the chair of GKNB, Artur Medetbekov, said to CABAR.asia that weapons delivery and control is not at high level so far in Kyrgyzstan.

“When licences are granted, their owners are not usually properly tested. Sometimes, licences are granted using one’s influence. In addition to other rules, the gun owner should undergo a psychological evaluation at least once a year. Sometimes, people get mad and are willing to use their guns. Delivery and control of guns in our country leave much to be desired. There are too many obstacles and gaps despite the firearms law,” he said.

According to the expert, there are some explanations as to why civilians own guns.

First, the country has gone through three revolutions, and people had to protect their property, businesses. Second, Kyrgyzstan is a mountainous country, and many people want to have a hunt. Third, the crime factor and distribution of violent extremism, radicalism ideas play their part.

“In most cases, law-enforcement bodies do not protect citizens properly, and it feels unsafe in the country. Citizens have to get prepared to any situation and firearms become a kind of protection,” Medetbekov said.

Independent researcher Anna Zubenko said that in some cases this issue is closely related to the confidence in the state, mainly, in law-enforcement bodies. According to her, various surveys and researches demonstrate that, generally, the citizens of Kyrgyzstan do not feel themselves secure in public places, especially at night, and do not feel confident in law-enforcement bodies.

“Kyrgyzstan needs strict measures of firearms control. Despite their availability on paper and in reports of the Ministry of Interior Affairs, they are poorly implemented. This is not just this issue, but this is the problem of state control of the situation in the country,” she said.

The Ministry of Interior Affairs does not collect statistics of unlicensed firearms and does not even have an estimate of this figure.
According to the Geneva Institute on International Relations, in 2017, the approximate number of unregistered firearms held by citizens of the Kyrgyz Republic was 142 thousand units. In the ranking of the country based on the number of civilian-held firearms per capita, Kyrgyzstan holds 156th place out of 230. Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan lead in the region.

According to the Ministry of Interior Affairs, during April and June events of 2010, 1,190 units of firearms and over 100 thousand cartridges, were lost. Out of them, 57% have not still been returned. Security expert Artur Medetbekov said that we should not disregard other potential channels when speaking about the arms trafficking.

“We should keep in mind that we have common border with Tajikistan, which shares border with Afghanistan. There are both arms smuggling and trafficking, so arms trafficking in Kyrgyzstan is rather widespread today. Among arms are a great number of rifled guns, Kalashnikov guns, sniper rifles, grenade launchers, AT hand weapons, Makarov guns. No one known who and when is going to shoot, but they wait in the wings. Most of these weapons are available at organised criminal groups. Particular political groups have firearms, too,” Medetbekov said.

A penalty ranging from 260 to 300 thousand som (nearly 3,000 dollars) or imprisonment for 2.5-5 years is reserved for illegal storage of firearms and ammunition. A penalty from 20 to 50 thousand som or imprisonment for up to three years is reserved for disorderly conduct with the use of arms.

According to Anna Zubenko, this sphere needs to be fully controlled by the state in terms of public security and political stability.

“It’s a different matter whether the state mechanism is capable of doing this. Of course, we need to remove any corruption schemes, which can be hindered by the people concerned. Anyway, we need to deal with resistance because this is about the security of citizens. It’s the question of political will and this issue will be solved, hopefully,” she said.

Researches among large groups and individual work with crime-prone adolescents have demonstrated the availability of factors that increase the possibility of mass killings when combined. These factors are no emotional contact in early childhood, no empathy, adolescent’s need to belong to a status group, glorification of killers by some teenage groups.

According to psychologist Zhakshylyk Zhyrgalbekov, the reasons for mass crimes, including mass killings, are diverse and have underlying mental and social reasons. Mental reasons mean particular contradictions, system of beliefs, values, thoughts, feelings, negative emotions. Social reasons mean social conditions that become the influencing factor for committing mass crimes.

“Some of them have particular mental issues. For example, they may suffer from the break from reality, have various deep feelings of despair, feel themselves at bay, have emotional and mental issues. They often may be victims of emotional, physical or sexual violence,” he said.

According to the psychologist, healthy relations between pupils and the teacher are important. Bullying, mockery, intimidation, racket and isolation from school environment pose a greater risk for committing a crime.

“There are particular assumptions saying that pathological influence of social relations with continuous mockery may accumulate and lead to the human deformation, which can result in mass killings or another negative behaviour. These problems in social relations are not necessarily seen from outside. For example, such people are often taken by those around them as rather successful,” Zhyrgalbekov said.

They want to show their pain to the society by their act, and their peers often become their victims.

According to the deputy of Zhogorku Kenesh, Abdyvakhap Nurbaev, public places are always at risk of mass shooting.

“We must hold preventive campaigns among young people, teach them to be tolerant. We have rather strict laws about arms, just as it should be. We should not bring the situation into the state when citizens will have to defend themselves using guns. Law-enforcement bodies play a very significant role here; they should be readily available and respond quickly to citizens’ requests,” he said.

Human rights defender Erzhan Sulaiman pays attention to the need to control the causes of weapon employment. It is impossible to obtain the result by total control only.

“It’s no secret that today the society becomes more aggressive and hostile. The reason behind aggression is resentment, discrimination, inequality, unfairness. If teachers who convey universal human values to children don’t believe in justice, if a family has issues because of financial illiteracy, if corruption and inequality before the law thrive in the state, we should not wonder at the aggressive behaviour of future generations. Human rights violation leads to radicalisation – it’s a simple law. There need to be efforts to strengthen children’s rights and freedoms, distribute the culture of tolerance,” the expert said.

Zhakshylyk Zhyrgalbekov reminded of the importance of psychological support to children and adolescents.

“Particular deviant behaviours should be diagnosed by all means. If we identify such a child and there are particular risk factors, we need seek professional advice first. Complex measures should be taken. The child must have all his educational, communication needs and so on met,” the psychologist said.