At 7 p.m. on Monday evening, you were still at the Riigikogu, voting against a bill initiated by [EKRE MP] Varro Vooglaid to ban state funding for abortion.

Excuse me, I in fact voted against removing it from the agenda.

Right, so that's been cleared up. And you weren't present anymore for the 9 p.m. vote. Does that mean that once that abortion law bit was done, you went straight to Falgi Park, or did you stop by home first?

I came home still. I guess I headed to Falgi Park after 10 p.m.

Why did you go to Falgi Park?

To fire a starter pistol.

So you took the starter pistol with you from home? Why did you have one at home?

Well, because I bought it.

Why did you buy such a thing? Have you served as a referee?

No, I haven't served as a referee. But I do go to the shooting range; I fire right at the edge. Then I thought I'd try it out, see how it sounded at the range. And it was indeed much quieter than a real pistol. But that night in Falgi Park, I have to admit those pops were still quite loud.

So you bought a starter pistol just to see if it echoed as loudly as a regular gun at a shooting range?

It doesn't sound very believable, I know, but this is one of those things I'd rather not explain here to the broader radio audience.

A starter pistol costs around €100. To buy a pistol just to test out how it sounds...

You're sharp; can't get anything past you.

But then why did you buy it?

I said I'd rather not talk about it right now. Actually, a few close friends do know why I needed it, and I needed it about a week ago.

Do you have some magpies around your home that need scaring off?

There are magpies too, but I haven't used a starter pistol to scare them.

But generally speaking, did you also get a starter pistol so you'd have something to display as self-defense, but doesn't actually pose such a threat?

No, I didn't buy it for self-defense.

Alright. You tried it out at the range, and then that night, you went to see if it would sound the same going off at Falgi Park too.

Well, I didn't go to see that. But I fired it for personal reasons. You see, sometimes someone may have one thing or another – perhaps sometimes anniversaries and such that they want to commemorate.

But I suppose there are also political reasons here, and politically, the media might interpret it as the opening salvo for Thursday morning's anti-tax protest in front of Stenbock House. The protest is being organized by our party [the Estonian Nationalists and Conservatives (ERK)] and it starts at 9:30 a.m.

Alright then. Does that mean you went to Falgi Park to commemorate something with that shot?

I'd rather not get into that again. You're very good at pressing further.

We're going to read it from the misdemeanor report sooner or later anyway.

I haven't told the police either, and I've told them exactly what I'm telling you.

Alright. So you fired that shot in Falgi Park, and then didn't go straight home afterward. I read that you went and had a few drinks. What's your bar of choice?

Actually, I walked home the person who had been disturbed by the shots – walked them to their door – and apologized profusely. And then I decided to take a walk in town, and briefly stopped in Valli Bar, and had two shots of whiskey. Then I came back, and that's when the SWAT team showed up. The police were incredibly professional. I felt like a dummy of a dangerous criminal.

Apparently the person who called the police – although I explained to them that it was a starter pistol – apparently they didn't tell the police that. It was also nice that I wasn't given any special treatment for being an MP. They subdued me without causing me physical harm.

And after that was filling out the report, a pleasant conversation. We discussed how the police are underfunded, and I promised to support them to the best of my ability and so on.

So how did the police subdue you?

I saw the car standing there and noticed my front door was open. So I guess they're cops, then, but oh well, it is what it is.

Right – you stepped into the stairwell, and then came the police officers...

They searched my pockets for the starter pistol and asked if I had any other weapons. They held me down and then checked my blood alcohol level, which was 0.037 percent.

This was an hour after [firing] that shot and after I'd had those two whiskeys in town. That blood alcohol level (BAC) is really in the range of "had a drink, but not showing signs of intoxication." Headlines like "Drunk Valge fired shot in Falgi Park" could be swapped for "Sober Valge fired shot in Falgi Park."

Were you handcuffed? Did the cuffs pinch?

No, they didn't. They were put on quite professionally. But what I found interesting was how quickly they can be slapped on – clink-clink – but when taking them off, it's endless fiddling with those keys. And they aren't easily removed once on.

Why did you bring that starter pistol with you to Valli Bar?

Since I was already on my way walking. So what the hey, it's not like I had any more blanks. I had no intention of doing anything else, and I was a bit shocked myself at how it all turned out.

But oh well, and a sober person is allowed to carry this [starter] pistol too. By the way, I didn't know that even with a slight buzz, you're not allowed to carry any gun-like object – not even a starter pistol. But my ignorance in no way excuses my actions.

When you were at Valli Bar, did you go ahead and keep it in your bag or holster, or did you take it out of there too?

It stayed in my pocket there. No one saw it, and there was absolutely no need to display it.

Incidentally, do you have a real gun at home too? You have a weapons permit.

I do, yes. This professional conduct, to speak, on the police's part was prompted by the fact that they confirmed my identity and also confirmed that I have a real gun too. Then the police responded exactly as they should. Kudos to them.

What do you think, should you be allowed to retain your weapons permit?

I don't want to jinx it. I sure would be glad if I were, but rationally speaking, I'm afraid I won't.

And would it be justified if you weren't?

There's nothing for me to moralize in this situation. The police will make that decision, and I'm definitely not going to appeal, whatever they decide.

Look, in our opinion, placing that flag there next to the bas-relief of the deporter Juhan Smuul didn't disturb our fellow citizens, and that we appealed. But this time I really did cause a disturbance.

Have you considered in hindsight that this thing could have ended very badly? You're there in Falgi Park, firing off shots – if there had been a police patrol nearby, how would they have known what you were firing? And the gun looks just like a real one? It's a good thing you weren't gunned down.

Well, first of all, of course I was firing into the air. Second, I believe our police are professional enough to distinguish between shots – I don't know this for certain, but I assume they are. In theory, yes, all kinds of bad things can happen, but let's just say the chances of it happening are very low.

What I'm getting at with this question – the police have been saying for quite a while now that starter pistols are a real danger precisely because of the fact that more and more people have them. And they can't tell the difference from afar, because they really do look exactly alike. By the way, what kind of gun does your starter pistol look like?

It's actually a small revolver.

Police don't know if it's real or not. What do you think – should this be regulated somehow in the future? There's been talk of making starter pistols a different color – like bright orange.

It's not really for me to moralize on this topic, because I've committed this misdemeanor, and that is a fact for which I've apologized to the disturbed citizen both before and after they called the police.

Personally, I'd hate if my actions led to changes in the law, which would then be called the Valge Act, and then I'd earn the justified ire of tens of thousands of honest starter pistol owners. And I'm not aware of this having been an issue before. I'm just a fly in the ointment here.

Yes it has; police have been talking about this issue for some time. In America, people are actually killed for brandishing weapon-like items. But you don't see a need for an amendment?

Answering this personally: in America, carrying weapons is hundreds of times more widespread than in Estonia, and there is far more gun-related crime. You can't apply that to Estonia. We have had one unfortunate incident where someone armed with a knife was gunned down by police, but I really have not heard of there being issues with starter pistols.

Well then. I take it you won't be going to the park to shoot pistols anymore.

No, I won't. Our party chair Silver Kuusik personally recommended that in the future, I only shoot where it's allowed and even encouraged.

But if you lose your weapons permit, then that isn't anywhere.

Well, under current law, it still is with a starter pistol.

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