The ‘Respect life, not weapons’ campaign, which started in Sarajevo, aims to point out the responsible handling of weapons, which prevents tragic cases. Police data shows that one in six firearm-related deaths is the result of an accident.

The campaign is implemented in coordination with the ten cantonal interior ministries in the Federation of BiH, the Ministry of the Interior of the Republika Srpska, and the police of the Brčko District of BiH, with continuous information from the Coordination Committee for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) in BiH.

Citizens, young people, and children will have the opportunity to talk to police officers and to learn about responsible gun ownership and safe storage of legal guns during the campaign, which will be held in Široki Brijeg, Zenica, Tuzla, Bijeljina, Travnik, Cazin, Prijedor, Mostar, Trebinje and other cities of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Head of the Public Relations Department of the Police Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Sarajevo Canton, Mersiha Novalić, said that the campaign is educational and is aimed at young people.

”The main message would be that there is no situation in which a weapon can be considered harmless and that there is no situation in which a weapon can be considered a toy,” said Novalić.

She reminded that there are a large number of accidents in BiH, the region, and around the world that were caused by the irresponsible possession of legal weapons.

Just one second of inattentiveness is enough, which, she added, will irreparably destroy not one but many lives.

She reminded that in the Sarajevo Canton, it is possible to hand over weapons from the ‘B’ category, and this category does not include discarded weapons – hand grenades or other mine-explosive devices.