Could a Soviet Citizen Own A Gun?

The attitude of the Soviet authorities to the presence of weapons in the possession of its citizens varied greatly, from full permission to (almost) total prohibition. During the Russian Civil War, the Soviet government allowed a variety of small arms and bladed weapons - and actively armed the working people. But already in 1918 it took it all back and demanded that the population immediately surrendered all weapons for the needs of the Red Army. Only the members of the Communist Party were allowed to carry one weapon with them. The same duality was present during the World War 2 - almost every Soviet man had to fight in it but the government demanded that all the hunting weapons and all the German weapons had to be handed to them - within 24 hours. So today we will try to understand - what exactly was allowed in the Soviet Union for regular citizens? Could they train with guns? Keep it at home? Go hunting? Or were they completely defenseless against the mighty State?
00:00 - Introduction
02:07 - How the Bolsheviks armed the country, disarmed and armed again
08:21 - Guns after WW2 - who could own them?
13:35 - Gun Culture in the Soviet Union
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Hey there. Somehow you found my video and decided to watch it. So let me introduce myself. I'm Sergei and I'm from Russia. My channel is about my native country. I want to tell English-speaking viewers about the real Russia, about its past and present. Unfortunately, you can find a lot of propaganda about Russia on the Internet, both from the Russian media and from the Western ones. I want to tell you about Russia, as it really is, the country in which I was born, grew up, and lived all my life.
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[@martonpapp269]

My grandfather always said that when Soviet troops left Hungary, you could buy their weapons on the flea market along with ammo. Kalasnyikovs, Makarovs, all the good stuff.

[@dmitarobradovic2551]

Sounds like heaven.🤤

[@chapiit08]

For a time during the mid 1990's I worked with a Slovak who told me the same thing and that a guy he new had a Soviet tank, ammo for the big gun and all, parked inside a barn. The Russian soldiers just wanted to get home and be done with the occupation bs so they left everything to speed up the process. The USA did something similar in Afghanistan a couple years ago.

[@martonpapp269]

@@chapiit08 incredible!

[@bolan4185]

@@chapiit08 what occupation? lol

[@chapiit08]

@@bolan4185 Construction, lol!

[@dustybricks113]

What surprised me the most, is when I met a Russian in America that showed me his first pistol, which he had received along with a pension after twenty years service at a generator plant. He said shotguns are common but to have a pistol is rare. Met him at a pistol range in Yuma Az. Nice guy who had a tough life before coming to America.

[@francisdec1615]

Far from Moscow the authorities probably cared less about gun laws. I remember my childhood here in provincial Sweden in the 1970s. The cops didn't care about people having .22 rifles without a license, although formally it was a crime.

[@domaxltv]

The thing about pistols is that they can be easily concealed and thus potentially used for crimes, in fact I believe most guns used in regular crime are pistols. In modern day russia it is very common to have non-lethal pistols for self defense for this very reason, and acquiring long arms is much simpler than small, easily concealed weapons

[@francisdec1615]

@@domaxltv Similar in western Europe. Here in Sweden most people could theoretically own a pistol, but it's a complicated and I would say humiliating process with compulsory membership in a shooting club, being an extremely good shot etc. And unlike Russia there is no right to carry ANYTHING for defending yourself. But getting a rifle is relatively easy. A short course and a "hunter's exam", and you might purchase up to six rifles. At least three shouldn't be a problem. Still very restricted compared to most places in the US, of course.

[@shall2117]

@@domaxltv that's why they are trying very hard to ban long guns in the US. Once they get those then they will try and ban pistols. Multiple handgun bans have been attempted but all have been thwarted.

[@TwinkieCakey]

@@shall2117 They can try all they want, they ain't gonna destroy 2A ever :D

[@robertunderdunkterwilliger2290]

“Under no pretext should arms and ammunition be surrendered; any attempt to disarm the workers must be frustrated, by force if necessary” ― Karl Marx

[@savagepeacemaker]

oh how the apple has fallen far from the tree.

[@mr.normalguy69]

Workers... What about the middle class and the upper class? What about the peasants and the homeless?

[@robertunderdunkterwilliger2290]

That is the point, you don't allow guns for the bourgeois, who are enemies to the Socialists @@mr.normalguy69

[@ishredder4006]

​@@mr.normalguy69there are only two classes, those who own the means of production (capitalist class), and those who don't (proletarian/worker class). All arbitrary class will fall under this two.

[@A_reasonable_individual42]

A bit poetic,on the Soviet Unions part

[@musiyth]

Soviet stationed soldiers casually dropping off AKs in rural houses in Poland

[@danielutriabrooks477]

Mid 20th century lootboxes

[@dillonc7955]

That explains why every house in Warzone has a casual assault rifle. Love the real life lore.

[@davijazzz]

​@@dillonc7955nice one

[@G_v._Losinj2_ImportantPlaylist]

Lol, this reminds me: my grandfather told me he traded some chicken to a Russian for his Mosin in the Winter of 1940 after he knocked on the door. He lived through the initial fighting, Soviet occupation, German occupation (many fights & raids; his mother/step-father/a half-brother shot it out, but were taken to the swamp while he & others were out getting bread, & another time he was last on line & the German didn’t close the padlock all the way), & left to the US (he left at 3 y/o when his father who worked with Ford died), walking through the Brandenburg Gate [he’d point it out when we watched the History Channel or something], after he saw who came to power in 1945/46.

[@shadow50011]

@@G_v._Losinj2_ImportantPlaylistThey had more Mosins than they knew what to do with. He probably picked up another one from a wounded/dead soldier later on or was simply issued a new one

[@szariq7338]

"Fun" fact: Mikhail Kalashnikov himself illegally owned a Browning pistol and: 1) That was his inspiration to build something more complex than hunting weapons. 2) This pistol almost cost him his life, when someone snitched him to the NKVD

[@rebralhunter6069]

He also owned a Browning hunting rifle which provided a lot of the inspiration for the AK design

[@yosawin3018]

It’s there a source for this? Not some solzhenitsyn tier garbage though, seriously the gun could be lend lease or what not and the NKVD, despite its terrifying reputation, were quite reasonable when they weren’t dealing with internal political conflicts.

[@harrycallahan5018]

​@@yosawin3018Cope harder commie

[@user-pn3im5sm7k]

⁠@@yosawin3018Your pfp totally doesn't make you bias. 😂 NKVD and the mother governing body were far from reasonable, hence why they cease to exist today.

[@yosawin3018]

@@user-pn3im5sm7k I took the picture from some right wing propagandist lol, they sometimes come up with interesting posters like this, logic be damned, like idiocy of this one, jihadist shaking with a red army soldier? lol, Soviets despised the religious institutions, they actively fought jihadists in Afghanistan after all. Well, the NKVD was essentially state security service and while the NKVD is gone, Its successors still operate in former USSR countries. The Communists are in disgrace though, they tried to embrace Social democracy/mixed economy and failed spectacularly and they handed election in 1990s to Yeltsin so he could do more damage and get Putin to where he is right now.

[@SuperDriver379]

I think it’s fairly universal that governments generally do not like their population being armed, while most populations like at least the concept of being able to be armed if not actively doing so.

[@oditeomnes]

My observation is that through a prosess of "civilizing" a country, the weapons are taken away from the population. Post revolution countries or newly formed countries or frontier colonies are usually armed. As time passes that frontier metnality together with guns either dissipates by itself, or is forcibly controlled by a government. USA is just a bit unique with constitution that let's them drag out this prosess for a very long time frame.

[@highenergyboy]

@@oditeomnes The Second Amendment has no expiration date, and it expressly forbids the government from infringing on the right to bear arms for self-defense. From what threats, you ask? The government itself, which is the biggest threat of all, as this video demonstrates. Nothing good ever happens when the government has a monopoly on the use of force. Stalin killed more Russians than Hitler ever did. The only reason why a government would disarm it's people would be to control them, so it would be more difficult for them to rise up and overthrow their oppressors. Such governments cannot be trusted period.

[@RandomPerson-ob1hk]

​@@oditeomnesnice to be able to shoot a crazy man with a knife rather than wrestle it out of his hands

[@John-gx7io]

"... a prosess of civilizing..." you mean making the people completly depending on the goverment for safety and any situation where a citizen defends himself the citizen is punished severely to Deter others from doing the same and to make sure the people believe the goverment is the only one that is able to keep them safe

[@GunsNGames1]

Main reason for government enforced gun control is to ensure that the government will always have total control and superiority over their population.

[@frigzy3748]

As a recipient of that Russian school firearm training class, I can say that it was extremely basic. Even the 3 rules of gun safety have not been taught there. The AK's were deactivated trainers. All I shot was a small pellet rifle.

[@comradejet9373]

Стрелковая безопасность по-сибирски - это когда наш учитель технологии притащил нам на урок воздушку, сказал "развлекайтесь" и оставил без присмотра. Портфель одноклассника стал первой мишенью, возмущающийся хозяин портфеля второй.

[@daehr9399]

I had a professor in college who grew up in the USSR. She was in the Soviet equivalent of the Girl Scouts, about age 12. Their activities consisted of baking, sewing, and learning how to disassemble/reassemble and fire an AK47 at the American practice targets. This was in the 1980s, towards the end of the Soviet Union. Marksmanship!

[@martonpapp269]

My great grandfather was a Hungarian people's army captain. He legally owned a TT-33 pistol. He carried it and brought it home too. He kept it in a safe and kept all the ammo in a different safe. Occasionally he took it out to show it to his 3 children, one of them was my grandfather. He always tells me that the gun was so large and heavy and his PA-63 pistol, the one he served with in the people's army was much worse, lighters and significantly less powerful.

[@dawsonschmidt3714]

I like the pa-63

[@martonpapp269]

@@dawsonschmidt3714 well, he, my grandfather didn't like it. He says that when it was target practice the instructor said that they are better of throwing the gun rather than shooting it and they would have a larger chance of hitting anything beyond 10 meters. His other weapon was an AMD-65 and he adored it.

[@FancyJesus666]

A PA-63 was the first handgun I ever bought and I still love it. It's a a great compact concealed carry weapon. It's basically a Walther PP with more power because the Makarov round is faster than the .380 ACP. But I do not think it's a good Marshall firearm it's too small and weak and the capacity is too small.

[@shall2117]

Good thing he kept the ammo locked up separate from the gun, weapons are sentient and can load themselves under the right conditions.

[@martonpapp269]

@@shall2117 well, it was an order and he had to follow it.

[@Anton43218]

Meanwhile in Romania you couldn't even carry a pocket knife and if anybody found out during a regular pat down, the police broke your bones in broad daylight.

[@dawsonschmidt3714]

Tyranny

[@ProjectCOOP]

Good luck with that if I have a pocket knife

[@Nope_handlesaretrash]

​@@ProjectCOOPthree men with Makarovs will want a word with you

[@G_v._Losinj2_ImportantPlaylist]

It’s even more horrific that communism was funded by the same estabIishment that induced all wars since at least 1898 (Boer & Spanish).

[@Anton43218]

@@Nope_handlesaretrash romanian police(militia) didn't carry makarovs, they carried and still carry today cheap knock off Walther PPs made domestically. Before that they carried tokarevs.

[@IGLArocknroll]

Our situation with firearms is extremely similar to yours. Before WW2, basically anyone with no criminal record,and no mental or physical disabilities were permitted to purchase sidearms and long guns of basically any caliber. High ranking officers were usually expected to do so themselves. After WW2, the gun control became stricter, you had to register your firearms with the relevant authorities, and certain things (like optical sights) were banned. After the 1956 events, an even stricter control was enforced: pistols were had to be handed in, unless if it was given to you as a honorary weapon for outstanding service, or job/position (e.g.: as an armed security guard, or as a member of the Munkásőrség or Worker's Militia) has required the carry and usage of a sidearm. Nowadays the case is similar: you could buy sidearms and long guns if you have a hunting license, if you are a member of a sports club, if you work as an armed security guard, if you are a registered collector, or in very special cases, if you're a VIP and you can legally prove that you need a firearm for self-defense. The only exceptions are gas pistols and other non-lethal guns, ranged weapons outside the firearm category (bows, crossbows, slingshots, etc.), air guns under 7.5J of energy, and muzzleloading firearms, you can buy these weapons freely.

[@robandrews4815]

You said ' our situation'. But what country are you talking about?

[@wilsan806]

​@@robandrews4815Hungary

[@blank1778]

Not in America baby 🎉🎉 GOD BLESS AMERICA🎉🎉🎉

[@IGLArocknroll]

@@robandrews4815 Hungary.

[@zephyrna6249]

Kajak tarthatok Musketat engedely nelkul?? Vagy mire ertetted hogy "Muzzle loading firearms"?

[@bernieeod57]

In his memoirs, Gorbachev states the reason he stepped down was to avoid an all out civil war. He was informed by the KGB that the populace was not as disarmed as officially stated and that if he tried to assert authority, there would be a bloodbath

[@keklya8862]

isnt it was Yelstsin who was ready to give his supporters rifles? And isnt KGB leader was the leader of august putsch? Why he would ever tell that to Gorbachev? Gorbachev was kept in Crimea during this event.

[@bernieeod57]

@@keklya8862 This was after the coup and Gorby was firmly back in power. It was the threat of Civil War which led to him stepping down

[@73gmiller]

I’m an American and can’t imagine not having several firearms. I just bought a Israeli Galil and I was like a kid at Christmas.

[@ulsterinfidel9897]

I'm from Northern Ireland, UK I have 4 firearms and Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK that can have a handgun as long as you are in a gun club or for personal protection with reason thanks to the high terrorism threat as an ex army reservist I am considered a target so I am thinking of getting a ppw handgun for conceal carry

[@richbutler7828]

We are inching closer to this every day in the U.S.

[@73gmiller]

@@richbutler7828 never

[@francisdec1615]

Until my great grandfather was 38, in 1934, any adult could just walk into a gun store here in Sweden and buy whatever they wanted. They could also carry the gun without any kind of license. Now, less than 90 years later, it's just as Ulsterinfidel describes that it is in Northern Ireland, except that you're not even allowed to carry here in Sweden, not even pepper spray. I feel totally disgusted by "fellow" Swedes who accepted and still accept this.

[@trey9971]

Galil 😍

[@Canhistoryismylife]

Fanny Kaplan shot Lenin with a FN M1900 so the Bolsheviks concerns about an armed population was not completely unjustified.

[@alexturnbackthearmy1907]

Also there were entire armies of criminals or warlords of all sorts, even after civil war ended, it took years to clean them out.

[@matiasfpm]

@@alexturnbackthearmy1907 stalin was a criminal. Even before the rise of the commies

[@010Jordi]

Here in the Netherlands most anti gun laws are from the 20's and 30's when the government was afraid of communist and fascist fighting each other attempting to take over the government

[@francisdec1615]

Same here in Sweden. Until 1927 no law regulating firearms ever existed here, and before 1934 all firearms were unlicensed. If you were an adult, you just bought one as any other item.

[@xablingos]

"Having a gun at USSR was difficult" * Old babushka using rifle as "dinner's ready" call *

[@johnsweeney2906]

Please make a video about modern gun laws in Russia. We are aware recently gun legislation has passed in Russia with different types of restrictions on law abiding owners. I have a strong feeling this will have next to no impact on the publics safety and has ulterior motives. There are quite a large number of Soviet and Russian gun collectors in the west or at least in Canada. With current events it has put a stop to this. However there are quite a number of products many of us would love to be able to purchase in the future. Thanks, as always another great video!

[@satyakisil9711]

"strong feeling this will have next to no impact on the publics safety and has ulterior motives" It seems you're the one to have political motives. Never heard of the terror of the Russian gun mafia in the 90s?

[@Daokl]

There have been rise in usage of legal guns in bank truck robberies, so as a response it became harder to own such weapons. In essence you can buy smoothbore as soon as you get permit, have to wait 2 years for something with magazine and 5 years for rifled, semi-rifled, semi-auto and such. So a longer wait and no more semi-rifled loophole, all the rest requirements: narcology, psychiatric, positive characteristic from local police, health eval, for rifled you provide some shot bullets for database, have to own metal gun safe and there are gun inspections - more or less same as before. Oh if you get arrested/fined for something it may be impossible to prolong permit, so there is that. Fun fact - for non-state security, pistols are only permitted in 9*17, but at the same time semi-auto shotguns are ok. Go figure.

[@johnsweeney2906]

@@Daokl Thank you for that detailed explanation! I see why those laws were changed recently. Hope one day things improve in the world so that we can have a chance to try Tula and other companies products!

[@Daokl]

@@liamanderson9104 no, not all are state owned and those that are, aren't state operated - they are separate commercial entities. So banks and their trucks are protected by private security and those are quite limited in what they allowed to have, no full auto rifles, no big mags, pistols are only in 9*17mm. In theory so that private security couldn't compete with state forces, as they did in 90s. And ofc state don't care about robberies, it cares about PR, since every armed robbery attempt becomes national tv story, violent crimes with guns and casualties are extremely rare (if compared to US). That demands visible action, easiest action is restrict something and that what Duma does all the time. And ofc they usually catch criminals with legal guns in less than a week, due to attention and banks sending their security (with better personnel, funding and equipment) to help. So sure, they don't care about solving problem, like addressing reason why people suddenly buy guns to rob money trucks, but no - robberies have triggered reform, no ulterior motive since all they added is waiting time and closed some loopholes, like gun inspections were kinda voluntary before.

[@telesniper2]

@@Daokl no more TG-2s? :-(

[@user-ew5pv1bd9q]

In far away hunting regions only prerequisit to own a rifle was to be 16 y.o. because meeting bear, agressive boar or wolf in awalking distance from your homestead was a common thing.

[@Genocideforbeginners]

I wish it was still that way. Industrial Society has truly corrupted this earth

[@TotalRookie_LV]

Yes for hunting. Shotguns were quite common in USSR. And at Soviet school my whole class got sort of trained in shooting air rifles age 9-10 (that was in 1980s). Some kids in other schools may have gotten actual rifles, envied them a bit, of course only 5.5мм / .22 caliber, what were called "мелкашка" ("tiny one"). I even won local shooting competition age 11. In secondary school there were so called "basic military training" classes, where students learned to disassemble and assemble deactivated AKs. Some ladies (for some reason it's always ladies, not men) are able to do that blindfolded to this day in around 30-40 seconds.

[@jmgonzales7701]

you cant own ak?

[@TotalRookie_LV]

@@jmgonzales7701 Not a full auto one in my country currently, but we here on the East of Europe can own and even carry guns. And in USSR those for lessons were not actually functional firearms, they were ММГ (макет массо-габаритный - "size and weight model") - AKs disabled in some way and made impossible to shoot - like bored through chamber and blocked barrel. But one could have hunting rifle to, not just a shotgun, back in USSR.

[@JoshJones-xd5mw]

I have read from more than one source that during the Beslan Massacre the soldiers ran out of ammo and Russian civilians showed up with loaded AK mags to give them.

[@helloworld-ti5zs]

Yes. I am ex-Soviet Asian. I had military basing training subjects at school and shot with a rifle in the end of 80s in Soviet Kazakhstan. I was a small , thin and very shy Asian girl... Lessons were interesting and I was not bad at shooting.

[@lukelee7967]

But I saw a guy on American tv once shout "Stalin took the guns!" trying to sum up the entire history of gun ownership rights in the Soviet Union. Are you telling me actual history is more complex than that?

[@killerratchet1973]

Much like how hitler didn't exactly totally disarm nazi Germany either. Though I don't know if the same could be said for china under Mao.

[@lukelee7967]

@@killerratchet1973 Thing with Nazi Germany is it's actually kinda the opposite. Before the Nazis took power Germany had very strict gun ownership laws. Which was a hold over from before Germany even was a country. Fascists of course have a kind of worshipful view of weapons. So after the Nazis took power they relaxed gun ownership laws within Germany. Of course restricting ownership to people who fit their batshit insane racial laws. And forbidding people who had been part of a left wing political party. As fascists are likely to do.

[@killerratchet1973]

@@lukelee7967 Also couldn't be a jew of course due to fears of an armed revolt.

[@lukelee7967]

@@killerratchet1973 At any point during the history of Nazi Germany had the Jewish population gotten weapons and revolted, the revolt likely would have been crushed. Which the Nazis would have liked. I think a more likely reason is it gave them a reason to legally harass Jews. Which in the first few years after they took power they needed an excuse.

[@francisdec1615]

@@lukelee7967 The German Empire only had local gun laws. In the HRE only Austria had gun control, and it was a shall issue to own a gun for most people. The draconic German gun law that was before the Nazis was from 1920. But yes, the Nazis armed ordinary people, that they trusted, but disarmed Jews and political opponents.

[@dashy9482]

Citizens should have the right to bear arms, at the very least small arms for the purpose of self defense.

[@sergiotell8856]

Actually handguns are more heavily banned in Russia. Which makes sense actually, due to the fact that handguns are a lot easier to hide in public.

[@officerdonut7066]

It's so you can't assassinate your rulers as easily Bolsheviks are you know who

[@fidus868]

Yes, I would allow Handguns and Shotguns to everyone without criminal affiliation. Hunting-, Assaultrifles only with license and strict controll.

[@okaro6595]

I prefer a country where they do not need that.

[@r0man767]

@@okaro6595name one country where there is absolutely no possibility of being put into a self defence situation

As @martonpapp269 commented already, the easiest way to obtain a firearm in Warsaw Pact countries was to bribe a Soviet soldier. In Hungary it definitely worked, and there were a couple of criminal cases where the murder gun was traced back to a Soviet base. For booze, but particularly US dollars or German marks you could obtain literally anything, except one: a Kalashnikov bayonet. The Russians held it so prized they would not have parted with it for any amount of alcohol or money. These tradings only received some official attention when a second grade schoolkid bought a mortar (!) from the Soviets, with the intent of destroying his school. For a bottle of vodka, he got not only the weapon, but also a few grenades for it. This would've been the deadliest school shooting in history if a Hungarian cop didn't spot the kid dragging the mortar along a street. When the officers took it back to the Soviet base, they saw a few soldiers packing trucks at the gate. They walked up to them, and said (in Russian, because most of us learnt it at school): "Good day, comrades, I believe this device is yours? Who can we return it to?" A big, burly Russian NCO looked at it, and said: "Aye, thanks mate!" He just grabbed the mortar, and tossed it onto the truck. No paperwork, no questions, case closed... After this case, and a murder of a taxi driver by an unknown officer, Soviet high command forbade the troops to interact with the locals in any way, in any Warsaw Pact country. Conscripts spent their entire service locked up in the barracks, which must've been quite damaging, but hey, it's the Soviet Army. Some bases took this isolation procedure way too far, causing more problems than what it solved, but that's a story for another day.

[@matiasfpm]

Wacky stories from the iron curtain 😁😁😁😁

[@dvnk6971]

Nice story, got a laugh out of me

[@IGLArocknroll]

As a fellow Hungarian, I can confirm that the last part of your comment is bullshit. During the '80s the Soviet troops were welcomed patrons in a number of establishments in Debrecen (Panzió, Video Presszó, Fekete Bárány, and a few other places), and generally, the relations between most of the locals, and most of the Soviets stationed here was problem-free. Back in the day, my father used to work as a thermal water well operator, and one of the thermal water wells was located on the edge of the town, right next to a Soviet military base. He interacted with them daily, and he used to barter Camel and Kent cigarettes and booze (usually pálinka) for food (mostly beef tushonka, cans of sprat, sometimes eggs, potatoes or cucumbers) or for clothing items (he even managed to get an officer's leather mapcase that way), and other miscellaneous stuff.

[@willzibub]

It’s interesting that in many European countries firearm licensing was introduced in 1920 in response to the Russian revolution and that in the Soviet Union it was introduced at a similar time due to fear of a counter-revolution

[@francisdec1615]

Many people are fooled to believe that Europe "always" had gun control, but that's not the case. The first gun law in the German Reich came about in 1920. The first in Sweden in 1927, although licenses were only introduced in 1934. It was also a shall issue to own guns in Austria and Czechoslovakia. What surprises me is that unlike the US most people here in Europe never tried to resist gun control.

[@laremare]

@@francisdec1615 You don't hear about government agencies of Denmark or Finland experimenting with mind control on their own citizens, or planning (potentially also committing) false flag attacks on their own soils to justify the invasion of a sovereign country.

[@willzibub]

@@francisdec1615 Europe has a much higher population density and less public land for people to shoot on, as a result, gun ownership was less common here than in the US even when things were unregulated. It's also worth remembering that the US very nearly categorised all handguns as NFA items in 1934, if that had happened the US wouldn't have had as significant of a gun culture at the dawn of mass media and would have likely introduced further regulations (like European countries did)

[@francisdec1615]

@@laremare False flag attacks - no. People being brainwashed to believe BS propaganda - yes.

[@telesniper2]

Yes, fear of communist revolutionary groups is the excuse used for gun control in the US also (GCA 1968, etc). After the end of the cold war, a lot of gun control got relaxed, particularly with concealed carry. Most states used to be "may issue". Then they went to "shall issue". Now recently many are permitless "constitutional carry".

[@martonpapp269]

My grandfather told me the same thing about firearms trailing in school. It was in the Hungarian people's republic. The town had a firing range and children were take there to train on air rifles and .22 rifles. In school, everyone knew how to handle guns.

[@Andy-Gibb]

I grew up in South Africa in the 70,S and 80,S and each high school had a range. We used to shoot rifles on a Thursday afternoon. When I was 12 I used to take my 22 rifle to school and hand it in to the office until after school and go and fetch it to go hunting in the swamps behind the school in the afternoon. I would then go home with the rifle over my shoulder on my bicycle past the police station on the main road in town and no one even bothered even the cops. Those were the days, it's a pity they are no longer like that.

[@ScharfSchutzen]

Shit i wish we still had that here in the states, we had some schools with shooting clubs as late as the 90s. Kids knew how not to mess around with guns alot better back then, now look at us.

[@masterninjamt6497]

That's a bit grim, don't you think?

[@martonpapp269]

@@masterninjamt6497 there was no gun violence, so it is okay

[@user-rm6wv1ow5u]

Very interesting video! Would be cool another one about firearms' law and culture in modern Russia!

[@PHANTOM-FOX91]

You are a great content creator and I have learnt a lot about the Soviet union. There are a lot of misconceptions in the west and your help to put things into perspective. большое спасибо Please make a video about guns in modern Russia.

[@ivanmonahhov2314]

He misses a few small parts, citizens of rural regions could very easily obtain a hunting license, for a person living in a city it was very hard.

[@williameastwood8963]

Thank you very much for making this video. Love it!

[@nightwebmc]

That was fascinating thank you

[@Ravenghast]

Thanks for more interesting information, good video! I would love to hear more about firearms ownership in modern Russia!

[@3DLasers]

See my comment above or just read the Russian Constitution l, they believe it or not have a Bill of Rights... 🇷🇺 ÷🇺🇸=🌄 🌎

[@DonPedroman]

Meanwhile we in Spain have been facing slow but steady tightening of our right to bear arms (started with swords but then fire arms too) since the 16th century, sad

[@honkhonk8009]

Itl never stop. Those in power always want to disarm the future oppressed class

[@francisdec1615]

In Sweden gun laws were non existent until 1927. Firearms were always totally unregulated. Nevertheless most people here today embrace the state treading on their rights.

[@frogtown]

Ironically it hasn’t worked to curb gun crime when I got robbed at gunpoint in Andalusia in Spain lmao

[@francisdec1615]

@@frogtown Of course not. Gun laws are there to prevent honest people from being able to overthrow the government with violence. If anything, the state sympathizes with the criminals. The state is in principle nothing more than a posh version of the mafia, except that the mafia just wants to steal a little of your money, while the state wants to control every aspect of your life.

[@xb0xisbetter]

"Gun crime" is an irrelevant term they made up to justify disarming you so that you can't resist when they do things authoritarian.

[@maxasaurus3008]

Great video buddy as usual!

[@sergecashman4822]

Heh. Interesting. In the 80s the small air rifle shooting ranges were very common. Some of my friends had air pistols at home (can't have that in Brooklyn). High schools had one day a week of GROB (Grazhdanskaya Oborona - Civil defense) where you were taught to disassemble an reassemble deactivated AKs. Universities had .22 rifle shooting course as a requirement. Hunting shotguns were very common in the countryside and could be bought in sports stores. Hand loading was very common for hunters, just like building your fishing rig. But in my 19 years in the USSR I have never been close to a functional pistol or a military rifle. One of my kindergarden friends' family had an illegal single feed bolt action rifle with no ammo. We would load cherry seeds into it and the striker would kind of throw them out of the barrel, through a window of a Moscow low-rise project building... Things had drastically changed when the USSR fell apart but I got out by that time. :)

[@cannaventureseeds2909]

New York is a modern slave state.

[@rdallas81]

Interesting

[@helloworld-ti5zs]

Yes. It is true.

[@bower31]

I love when you said "illegal weapons" and the clip played of the kid holding a dirty pistol in paper wrapping. I had the same gun on my desk, some kind of great irony. (A CZ-82/VZ-82 depending on the time it was made or purpose, for the maybe single person who cares)

[@user-if4zv5nj5m]

My grandfather said that after a ww2 there was so many weapons, that kids usually played with them and nobody was surprised. Policeman just checked if they had any ammo, and allowed to play if there wasn't any

[@andrewallen9993]

CZ82\3, a pistol with an incredible accuracy, reliability, ability to feed any type of ammunition even if filthy and smooth action with a safety catch as accurate as a Vostok watch. I own one and that's why I never carry it with a round chambered.

[@xb0xisbetter]

I certainly care. I noticed it too. Almost seemed out of place since they were still kind of new when the Soviet Union collapsed. I have a lot of Czech ancestry and bought a few CZ-82s as surplus.

[@xb0xisbetter]

I take it a Vostok watch is no good then? The safeties always seemed fantastic on mine.

[@andrewallen9993]

@@xb0xisbetter Bit of a knock and the safety drops by itself, not so good with one up the spout, as for Vostok watches they are as tough, reliable and waterproof as a Rolex submariner ànd like the CZ you have to make them accurate by regulating them yourself :) A bit like my Jawa 350 two strokes really except they never ever run fast!

[@grugnark]

No automatic guns are sold at Walmart.

[@davijazzz]

sad

[@NorthernNorthdude91749]

ARs, AKs, etc. Yes they are.

[@zackzittel7683]

@@NorthernNorthdude91749 Walmart doesn’t sell AR’s or AK’s… they don’t even sell ammunition in those calibers.

[@davijazzz]

@@NorthernNorthdude91749 No, not them, at least in the United States, automatic weapons are practically banned in the United States, and if you are caught with one you get a felony sentence.

[@NorthernNorthdude91749]

@@davijazzz Automatic simply means automatic mechanical chambering of ammunition. Semi auto is automatic.

[@gdebouillon]

Amazing video and research! I hope you make one about gun ownership in modern Russia

[@robertsansone1680]

Interesting. Thank You

[@jackrhino7465]

My father live in lithuania in the 90s and said you could go to Markets where they Sold everything from ak47, marakovs rpg7s and plenty of ammo. He didnt by anthing tho goddamit id live myself a nice marakov from the 60s

[@sergiotell8856]

Actually I was thinking about the culture of firearms in modern Russia. Please make a part 2

[@jmgonzales7701]

can citizens own guns?

[@DM-88]

I am interested in another video where you cover this topic!

[@Elsass_Bastard]

Great video and cool channel my drug, subscribed. Definitely interested in modern Russian gun laws/culture. Cheerio from sunny Florida and the 12 guns hanging on my wall!

[@marty1076]

Man, I want a Soviet-era Makarov so bad.

[@_Its_Ya_Boy]

SAME They’re rather expensive nowadays, but don’t tell anyone I told you this, they sell a decent few parts online, so if you want to buy the hard making ones, and make the rest…just saying.

[@harkiss1]

Well in post Ussr countries, like my Lithuania, its still cheap. Even now i see East German Makarov from 1962 for 180eu. @@_Its_Ya_Boy

[@ericsteenbergen9470]

Not so bad on GunBroker. You can find a nice Russian model for ~$500, a mid quality model for about 20% off and you can find shootable makarovs made elsewhere in the soviet union for under $300 pretty regularly. And for Americans they are C&R eligible since they were made by a country that no longer exists.

[@_Its_Ya_Boy]

@@harkiss1 I MUST GET PASSPORT IMMEDIATELY

[@_Its_Ya_Boy]

@@ericsteenbergen9470 I’ve been looking and they sell things like the barrels, slides, firing pins, etc separately but still lead up to a similar price around 300$ if you can find all of them, so we do need to keep a lookout for cheap surplus parts.

[@surrealengineering7884]

They are still doing no questions asked gun buybacks where my family is from, it's astonishing how many weapons are still being collected. (And that are just the ones people give up. There still must be millions in Europe from WW2 alone)

[@My_Old_YT_Account]

I'm guessing a large chunk were made on the spot for free money

[@surrealengineering7884]

Would be funny xD@@My_Old_YT_Account

[@kylehenry358]

Very interested in modern russian gun culture, definitely make that video. Liked and subscribed

[@W.I.L_1917]

Great historical video)) Отличный.

[@rebralhunter6069]

I must say I'm pleasantly surprised. This is a really good video, and the comment section itself is also really good. Tbh I was expecting a lot more mudslinging between the pro gun rights Americans/Europeans, and the anti-gun Europeans, as is often too common on these sorts of videos. But it hasn't happened yet so yay.

[@Joe3pops]

Yes. Practical USSR built hunting firearms certainly made thier way into Canadian legal market. In 1990 I bought a sturdy Baikal IJ-58 side by side 12 gauge. Ducks, grouse and many rabbits fell before it to feed my young & growing family. Stupidly I loaned it to a buffoon whom promptly broke its stock. Harsh lesson for me!

[@lly_09]

I'm glad I subscribed to your channel, love your videos, always learning something "new" about Russia

[@SasaMic]

I am so happy to get some information about how gun ownership has been in Russia, and CCCP. This video was offered to me this morning and I watched it immediately. I liked this video so much that I have watched many more of your videos today, and am sure to watch even more. I am subscribed now.

[@QWERTY-gp8fd]

which is easy considering u get conscripted.@@tatumergo3931

[@CocoHutzpah]

That's cool that schools had rifle ranges. My high school had an indoor rifle range next to the football stadium. It was only used by the rifle team, but I guess they got big pull with the sports money because they always did well.

[@HunterAnsorge-ok9jk]

US military paid for it not the school

[@jacopoabbruscato9271]

Just imagining how many guns the Wehrmacht left behind in the USSR during WW2. Some of these weapons are still seen in the Middle East and Ukraine in working condition, so I guess there were millions of them in the underground market during the soviet era.

[@florinivan6907]

Well about 14 million K98ks were manufactured during the era. If we assume about a third were destroyed during the war itself that should leave over 9 million in working order. If we assume that 60% ended up in soviet hands either during the war or shortly thereafter that means about 5.5 million.And this is just one rifle granted the main infantry rifle.

[@jacopoabbruscato9271]

@@florinivan6907 not to mention other german weapons and soviet made guns as well. I'd have a hard time believing all the Red Army guns were accounted for in 1945, especially all the ones that were left behind or captured in the initial stages of Barbarossa.

[@johnson1257]

thank god for subtitles

[@peterparsons7141]

Really interesting! I would be interested in similar information about sport fishing, camping, hunting. Car motorcycle ownership ? Cottages ? Boats ?

[@Sinn0100]

I absolutely believe that the right to keep and bear arms is paramount to one's freedom. I myself grew up around guns and was a proficient shot by the time I was 14 years old. On the day of my 18th birthday I bought my first weapon (a jet black 16 inch Mossberg Persuader). I have carried a sidearm on my person for over 21 years now and I don't intend on stopping anytime soon. Addendum- Walmart doesn't sell anything worthwhile anymore. I used to buy a lot of my ammunition from there but now I won't even give them the time of day.

[@elmoantero99]

would be very interesting if you covered the post soviet crime situation 90s to 2000s i have great interest in this topic

[@juanelorriaga2840]

Thank you great vid I was always wondering how Gun ownership was like in Soviet era Russia

[@kantenklaus9753]

In the former GDR there were also shooting lessons in the form of the GST (Society for Sport and Technology), mostly we had lessons with air rifles, but for the older age groups it was possible to shoot an MPi 69, but the lack of .22 ammunition was so significant that we could only rarely practice. Very interesting video!!!!

[@FrostAwx]

damn this is in my recommendations already

[@mattmorrison9379]

Mosin nagant 91/30, m44, tokarev rifle, SVD, SKS, AK47/74 , Makarov pistol, AN94, etc. Russia has made some great small arms. Very well made.

[@williemanillie4974]

You havent lived until you experienced the 12 lb trigger pull of those nagant revolvers only to fire off a round with all the impressiveness of a 22lr.

[@Joseph_Stalin1940]

I must say, the thumbnail is beautiful!

[@Setarko]

Thanks, mr. Stalin!

[@SamuraiAkechi]

2:50 That's a stretch. Yes, in relation to average wage in Russian Empire, a Berdan shotgun conversion wasn't that expensive, but let's remember that employers could fine thier employees for anything and lots of social and quality of life services that we take today as granted (like central heating, tax-payed healthcare, tap water etc) weren't avalible to everyone and people had to pay for those too. Not to mention that cheapest guns avalible were designed for Flobert rounds and were meant only for recreational shooting. 4:04 That's not the same Mauser. Pocket 1910 is a different model. If we dive in the topic of personal weapons, it would be good to say that lots of soviet and antisoviet, and in general revolutionary leaders carried Brownings. Lenin had a Browning of unidentified type, Maria Spiridonova used Browning during an assassination attempt on Tambov governor's assistant in 1906, Boris Savinkov supposedly carried a Browning, Fanny Kaplan had one for sure. 5:10 Considering that army needed supplies, and that White Armies recieved foreign aid, that was somewhat reasonable move. 6:55 And why not a word has been said about mass training of people in use of firearms before WWII, the work of OSOAVIAChIM, Voroshilov's Marksmen etc? 16:27 It would be reasonable to mention the Okhotminimum as one of the requirements to get a hunter's ID. As far as I know, many current day european countries demand hunter candidates to pass exams before they can buy anything.

[@Armored_Ariete]

would love a vid on modern russian gun culture

[@agentbullwinkle991]

I am subscribing so hard because I NEED that modern Russia gun culture vid.

[@squirrel4832]

Very good visuals! I would suggest however to rely on wikipedia less for future videos

[@CharlesMartelsHammer]

Some of the laws outlined in this video are extremely similar to current US gun laws, which is terrifying.

[@FlowerPowerNZ]

I have a rifle which was made in a post Warsaw Pact country. Quite a nice piece of kit.

[@PalofGrrr]

Thank you

[@deadtreb1509]

A similar video about gun culture in modern Russia would be very informative, please make it!

[@karolklepek-lm7dz]

In Poland, after the collapse of communist rule in 1989 illegal post-Soviet guns woild become very common and easily accesible, predominantly through Russian gangsters and arms dealers. Many of them would fall into hands of 1990s Polish organized crime (including Wołomin and Pruszków Mafias) which would become powerful criminal organizations later on, especially due to corruption and inefficiency of the Polish justice system and police back then.

[@amhuman5138]

I never knew about Russian usage of the C96! Quite similar to the Chinese warlord era, especially in the sense of it being elite.

[@ronalddunne3413]

Interesting... thanks. A look at modern laws would be welcomed as well!

[@BitStClair]

Cheers! Thanks for this. I had an aortic rupture ( widow maker). Somehow I survived. Life changed overnight. I'm to unwell for work to well for disability. Outside therapy is the best. This is a great call to get off my A$&.

[@RahulReddy-eq5zy]

The famous Soviet-Japanese co-production film by Kurosawa "Dersu Uzala" features a scene where it was considered illegal under the laws of the town to shoot a rifle into the air or go shooting at all within the limits of the town. The film was set in Tsarist Russia and in Siberia, so I'm curious whether such a law was an invention of the film or something which was commonly enforced in such a Russian town during a period without gun control.

[@Anton-cc7yc]

Sounds very similar to the modern firearms rules in Russia.

[@jacopoabbruscato9271]

Weapons could generally not be carried and shot in town or in the streets, and that's about it. Tsarist Russia tightened its laws after several assassination attempts on monarchs, but there rules applied pretty much to big cities only.

[@kiberburjui9608]

Винтовка-это праздник!)

[@cjkoko5394]

I am not from america, but I live here now. Just a note: in America you CANNOT go to a store and buy an "automatic" gun. Machine guns possession will give you 25 years in federal jail for each case. In america peices of plastic can be considered machine guns, people are currently in jail for "possesing machine guns" despite the fact that in court it was demonstrated the alleged auto-sear could not make the rifle function in "full-automatic", in theory if someone has a few pieces of plastic that are the exact shape of an Auto-Sear which in America is considered a "automatic gun" even though it a piece of plastic that is 3cm x 7cm (for a pistol which is commonly refered to as a "glock switch", a rifle Auto-Sear which is refered to as a "drop in auto-sear" is even thinner and smaller) they can go to jail for the rest of their life. I love america and I enjoy many freedoms here but the reality is you can go to jail for the rest of your life if you have a peice of plastic or aluminum the government claims is a machinegun even if in the court it is shown otherwise!

[@DS-ud6ys]

Lenin had a hunting shotgun when he lived in exile in Siberia (from 1897 to 1900). One time he brought home a rowing boat full of dead rabbits that he shot on a very small temporary island during springtime flooding (probably his fist mass murder).

[@helloworld-ti5zs]

Его старший брат Александр был казнён за покушение на царя. Это месть младшего брата за старшего.

[@GUNROCKS1990]

Some Russian PMC Bear holding a 30 round drum mag, eotech holographic sight, Saiga-12 Searching for Scavs has free loots from Factory.

[@szariq7338]

Today's Poland law while quite liberal still hasn't caused huge changes to the amount of permits issued and that's only because of period of communism. The post WW2 officials knew, how an armed Pole was dangerous system, so they punished illegal owners with DEATH, while at the same time making it a pain the butt to acquire a permit. However now I'm pleased to see a resurge of firearm ownership, I'm only sad because of the circumstances, that caused it.

[@davidharing6475]

I would love a video on modern gun laws in Russia, thank you.

[@p0xus]

I love how the Red Alert 2 theme has become the theme of the Soviet Union in culture. I heard it in the background there.

[@SHGames97]

Yes I’d love a video of modern Russia gun culture

[@lordofthehats4468]

I am personally always interested in life in modern Russia.

[@SlyCooper1920]

4:57 You watched Paradise Pd? Neat!

[@NS-45]

In modern Russia you can pretty much own any semiautomatic gun, even civilian VSS

[@albertoftasmania]

Getting a smooth bore firearm without a license is still too liberal for Australia.

[@maddyg3208]

You can blame a certain Tasmanian for that

[@albertoftasmania]

@@maddyg3208 Nah, our Government was waiting for something like this to happen. It would have happened with or without Martin Bryant's (alleged) help.

[@Overwatch9]

Pretty sure one would find military weapons from ww-2 in the old, abandoned remote buildings or in the attics and barns across the country, even to this day!

[@user-if4zv5nj5m]

Russia isn't THAT big. And the war happened in the most populated areas. Nowadays all ww2 guns are found in excavations, both official and private. Intact weapons are found in swamps and weapon crates. By modern law, you can have "collectioner" weapon in home with drilled barrel and deactivated bolt. But it is perfectly legal to have, say, an mg42 and a pair of working barrel and bolt next to it)

[@Overwatch9]

@@user-if4zv5nj5m I'm from Slovenia, the near smallest country in Europe and we still find stuff in the attics and basements sometimes.

[@francisdec1615]

@@Overwatch9 I'm from Sweden. My brother was offered a Luger from WWII from a guy in Norway some 10 years ago, but he declined. But they still exist, yes.

[@DAVIDMAINORD]

THE FIRST THING THEY DO IS TAKE YOUR ABILITY TO DEFEND YOURSELF.

[@pilotreg]

my grandparents still have their guns, some of my their kids have kept them as well.

[@Nachoxt17]

Please make a video about Firearms Culture in modern Russia.

[@prizrak-br3332]

Please do the video about modern Russia.

[@nateo6806]

What's that stock comedic footage with the USSR Bear at the very end of the video? Awesome presentation, thank you!

[@Setarko]

It is from a Soviet movie called "Ни пуха ни пера", 1973. kzbin.info/www/bejne/pHqypnSgYr-hi6s

[@nateo6806]

Thank you!!@@Setarko

[@ScottCampanaro]

Excellent. Please do cover the current ability to own and use firearms in Russia.

[@Raskolnikov...]

My grand grandfather bring to Iugoslávia 1 rifle, and bring tô brazil a lot of guns, i just dont know how

[@florianpierredumont4775]

USA > gave its citizens the right to bear arms, and never regreted it. USSR > gave its citizens the right to bear arms, and regreted it after one year. France > gave its citizens the right to bear arms, and regreted it after one week, then proposed to exchange the weapons with money.

[@111rr5]

​@GedankeFleisch the US government now only wants terrorists to own guns nowadays 😅

[@zenues]

@@GedankeFleisch liberals and jews arent American, therefore their opinion doesnt matter

[@Maliers]

​@@GedankeFleischAbout 62% of the country doesn't regret it.

[@Maliers]

Also People’s law

[@honkhonk8009]

@@GedankeFleisch The only people who "regret it" are closet authoritarians whos only coherent ideology, is more power to their tribe.

[@konstancemakjaveli]

Tl;Dw - essentially banned for anyone besides hunters and members of special organizations

[@theislandretreat4326]

yes, please make a video on modern Russia!

[@timhousley6845]

a well regulated militia, necessary to the security of a free state the rights of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringe .

[@IGLArocknroll]

And where are your rights, mate? In case you failed to notice, it's not "We, the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union..." anymore, but "We, the corporate giants of the United States, in order to secure our Interests..."

[@panzerfk0626]

@@IGLArocknroll le corporations bad, also where is that stated in the constitution? LOL

[@Jonnesdeknost]

Notice how it says "a well regulated Militia" lets focus on militia and well regulated.

[@My_Old_YT_Account]

​@@Jonnesdeknost"well regulated" with it's use in the 1700s meaning in working order. The militia has to be able to fight the state, thus it cannot be known to the state.

[@My_Old_YT_Account]

@@markbranham7355 Free (non-slave) blacks could be part of a militia and own a gun, believe it or not there was even some who owned slaves as well

[@nelson0110]

Yea, do modern Russia too.

[@JohnAsparagus96]

My brain automatically goes to that IZH-58 Bailal double barrel shotgun.

[@fatthehorse7534]

My grandma's brother went out hunting with my great grandfather's gun in 1979 communist poland. Someone snitched and he went to prison. Hes not very keen on talking what he hunted😂