Gun buyback programs in the licensing and permitting policy of the state

The work focuses on the relevance of the issues of improving the administrative and legal framework for the circulation of civilian weapons, ensuring their safety and the balance of private and public interests, the urgency of the problem for the international community as a whole and for states in which the circulation of civilian weapons is allowed. The research methodology is based on general scientific and specific scientific methods, traditional for domestic legal research, and also includes statistical and sociological methods used in Western studies of public health problems, including minimizing the threat of armed crime. The article analyzes the results of a study of weapons buyback programs that operated at different times in different countries of the world, as well as programs currently being carried out in various constituent entities of the Russian Federation. On the basis of official reports of governmental and non-governmental international and foreign organizations, as well as research conducted by leading universities in the world, the success of preventive measures aimed at removing weapons from civilian circulation is assessed. A conditional classification of the types of licensing and permitting policy is given, depending on the legal policy pursued by the state in the field of civilian weapons and control over their circulation. Determined the place of arms buyback programs in arms control policy. The results of arms buyback programs in the USA, Australia and Russia are analyzed. Less prevalence of such programs in Europe is stated. The features and factors influencing the effectiveness of the results of weapons buyback programs are highlighted. Brief conclusions and recommendations are given on the implementation of weapons buyback programs, when it becomes necessary to change the state licensing and permitting policy, as well as its evolutionary development and improvement.