SEESAC Organises Second Regional Meeting to Develop Gender-Sensitive Firearms License Approval Tool

The second meeting of the Regional Working Group for the Development of a Tool for Gender-Sensitive Firearms License Approval took place on 9-11 May 2023 Durres, Albania.

The regional gathering continued with the development of a tool for gender-sensitive firearms licensing which aims to ensure that the procedures for issuing firearms licenses fully consider the issue of domestic violence, as well as other gender-related aspects related to firearms, such as linkages between firearms and masculinity and specifically young men’s exposure to armed violence. The development of this tool was initiated during the first meeting of the Working Group held on 30 November and 1 December 2022 in Tirana, Albania.

The working group composed of 20 representatives of authorities from the Western Balkans enables strengthening of institutional capacities for effective prevention and combatting of the misuse of firearms in gender-based violence. SEESAC extended an invitation to officers dealing with firearms licence approval and as well as representatives from the police conducting background checks during the process of issuing firearms licenses for civilians.

The second meeting of the Regional Working Group for the Development of a Tool for Gender Sensitive Firearms License Approval facilitated valuable discussions and collaboration among experts to further refine the tool, ensuring that gender considerations are integrated into the firearms licensing process effectively.

The meeting was organised in the framework of the regional project Support for Enhancing the Fight Against the Illegal Possession, Misuse, and Trafficking of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) in the Western Balkans funded by the European Union through the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA II).