Home guard wants more servicemen to store weapons at home
The home guard's general staff is looking to reverse a trend that is seeing more of the national guardsmen entrust their weapons to the safekeeping of an armory. They want most of the personnel who have weapons permits to store guns and ammunition at home.
The members of the home guard (Defense League) have done so legally for 20 years, and it has a number of strategic advantages, resulting in more diffuse availability and rapid access, Postimees reported.
"In recent years, it's true that more weapons have been brought back to the district headquarters. There are human factors at play here - where there is a firearm there must also be responsibility and people didn't feel it was necessary because the security situation seemed stable," said Brig. Gen. Meelis Kiili, the commander of the home guard.
The home guard does not publicly release data on how many weapons are stored in homes of members. But the target is that 75 percent of home guardsmen to keep their weapons at home.
The standard weapon this pertains to is Galil and AK-4 series automatic rifles, which is issued to all personnel in combat units. In addition, officers are handed a pistol. Larger weapons and grenades are not kept at home.
Editor: K. Rikken