While they cannot yet specify an exact timeframe for the implementation of planned changes to weapons permits and firearm ownership, according to the Police and Border Guard Board (PPA), some Russian citizens living in Estonia have already begun voluntarily relinquishing their firearms.
Two fatal shootings in Estonia over the last six months have made the Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) to look into the persons owning firearms in Estonia with background checks conducted on 90 percent of gun owners.
After a fatal shooting in Lihula, Pärnu County, in early-June, the Ministry of the Interior is preparing amendments to the Weapons Act while law-abiding gun owners are hoping that the public opinion will not turn against them as a result of two bad apples.
After the Lihula shooting, PPA begun checking the lifestyles and behavior of all 26,000 gun owners in Estonia. By the start of 2021, 90 percent of gun owners have been checked with the process still ongoing. Proceedings to revocate weapons permits have been initiated or finished for a few dozen.