Disarmament of civilians after war: International standards and national legislation

Abstract

In the 21st century, the human need for self-defence, protection of relatives and property has raised the issue of regulatory legalisation of conventional weapons, and their disproportionate concentration in the hands of Ukrainian citizens as a result of military and political events to the real threats to post- war peace will require effective mechanisms of prohibitions and restrictions without violating the right to life. The purpose of this study was to design a model of national security in the field of use, development, accumulation, and proliferation of concrete types of conventional weapons in a special period. To fulfil this purpose, the study employed the methods of content analysis combined with heuristic search, empirical analysis, mathematical percentage ratio, and concrete analogy. It was found that the mechanisms of civilian disarmament in the modern world are directly related to the introduction of legalisation or prohibition of conventional weapons and ammunition for the civilian population. The geopolitical challenges of the 21st century have revealed the unpreparedness of national systems to ensure the right to life in times of armed aggression and civil wars. The weakening of the influence of international organisations and their regulations has increased the significance of national legislation in shaping global security. The study analysed the definition of the term “weapon” in the current legislation of Ukraine and the relevant EU Directive. It was concluded on the necessity of adopting a special law on weapons at the national level. The terminological consistency with international standards of the Draft Law of Ukraine No. 5708 of 25 June 2021, adopted by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on 23 February 2022 as a basis for the law, was stated. The study outlined the areas of implementation of the mechanism of prohibitions or restrictions on the use, development, accumulation, and proliferation of concrete types of conventional weapons during a special period, namely: formation of national legislation, creation of powerful police units, and implementation of international mini-disarmament programmes. The practical significance of this study is that its findings can be used in international and national lawmaking, development of mechanisms for preparing the country for the transition from martial law during the period of rebuilding peace