On April 18, 2026, a 58-year-old man committed a mass murder in Kyiv, Ukraine, using a legally registered firearm. Seven people were killed. Two police officers fled the scene. The Minister of the Interior, Ihor Klymenko, established an administrative working group to consider the creation of a national law to allow citizens to own and carry handguns for self-defense. The working group was established on June 11, 2026.
Ihor Klymenko was replaced as Interior Minister on July 16, 2026. Ivan Vyhivskyi is the current Minister of the Interior. It is not clear if the working group has submitted recommendations to the parliament or if the working group is still working.
There has been movement elsewhere. On September 1, 2026, the Verkhovna Rada included Bill No. 5708, “On the Right to Civilian Firearms,” in its legislative agenda. The bill passed its first reading on February 23, 2022, and a parliamentary committee recommended its adoption on second reading in November 2023. Inclusion on the agenda does not guarantee a vote, but it means Ukraine’s long-delayed civilian-firearms legislation remains alive.
On August 9, 2026, an article published in sud.ua described a petition submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. The petition is No. 41/010504-26ep. The petition outlines reasons for the Ukrainian government to solidify requirements to purchase, possess, and carry handguns in Ukraine.
The current system is regulated by acts of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The Ministry of Internal Affairs has control of the police forces of Ukraine and the National Guard. In effect, licenses to possess or carry handguns have been handed out, very rarely, by officials within the National Police force of Ukraine, pretty much at their discretion. Not many are handed out. Requirements for issuing permits suggested in the petition are these:
- have reached the age of 21;
- have no unexpunged or outstanding criminal record;
- have no medical contraindications;
- have completed mandatory training on safe handling of weapons;
- have successfully passed theoretical and practical exams;
- have concluded a compulsory civil liability insurance contract for the weapon owner;
- have registered the weapon in the Unified State Register of Weapons and obtained the appropriate permit.
An article in sud.ua, published on August 18, 2026, gives more details about the proposed Ukrainian weapons law. The proposal would create a “shall issue” system of permits to allow veterans to purchase, possess, and carry concealed handguns. The article shows more details from the petition No. 41/010504-26ep, as it applies to veterans. The requirements are a bit different from those listed in the August 9th article.
- State registration of each weapon.
- Identity verification and confirmation of the absence of legal grounds for refusing a permit.
- Medical and psychiatric assessments.
- Confirmation of knowledge regarding safe handling rules.
- Periodic confirmation of the right to possess weapons.
- An absolute prohibition on carrying weapons while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
- Suspension or cancellation of the permit in legally defined circumstance
The petition makes the point that such reforms are becoming popular in other countries in Central Europe. It lists Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Moldova, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. Those countries have instituted forms of shall-issue carry permit systems, and have not suffered from increased crime.
It is unclear if the change of Ministers of the Interior of Ukraine means a change in support for a Ukrainian law regulating the ownership and carry of handguns. Since the war, attitudes toward the citizen ownership of weapons have changed. Some polls indicate a majority of citizens now favor a weapons permit system.
The current system has been accused of being riddled with corruption. A Ukrainian publication indicates handguns, sub-machine guns, and assault rifles have been issued as “award pistols”. The claim is made such could be had for a price of $30,000. If that sort of money can be made inside the current system, there is certain to be opposition to reform legislation.
Both of these petitions contain restrictions gun rights advocates would reject in the United States. But replacing an opaque, privilege-based system with objective standards would still be a significant step toward recognizing the natural right of armed self-defense. When police cannot or will not protect citizens, the government has no moral justification for denying those citizens the means to protect themselves.
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About Dean Weingarten:
Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of Constitutional Carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.
