Signal intercepted: Ministry of Internal Affairs will limit the circulation of signal weapons

The security forces intend to significantly limit the market for signal weapons in the foreseeable future - the Ministry of Internal Affairs sent a corresponding proposal to the Ministry of Industry and Trade. Izvestia looked into what effect law enforcement officers want to achieve and how the Kalashnikov and Degtyarev signaling devices can be dangerous.

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No signals

The possible ban on any signal weapons with the exception of pistols became known from an official letter from the Ministry of Internal Affairs to the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

“It is proposed to amend Art. 6 of the Federal Law “On Weapons”, establishing a ban on the circulation of signal weapons on the territory of the Russian Federation with the exception of signal pistols, revolvers, single-shot shooting devices of a caliber of no more than 20 mm,” the document says.

What does "emasculated" mean?

A huge amount of weapons has been stored in the warehouses of the Russian Armed Forces since the time of hostilities. At the same time, our country’s defense production is continuously developing. In order to improve such characteristics as firepower, sight accuracy, and ease of operation, the defense industry is developing new and improved models of weapons and ammunition. And historically valuable military weapons are written off, undergo decontamination, thereby falling into the category of emasculated.

So, SHP (a weapon that fires blank cartridges) is a military weapon, which, after making certain modifications to the design, turned into a product suitable for firing blank cartridges or completely unsuitable for shooting. A gun that fires light-sound cartridges can also be considered empty.

Single "Kalash"

Today, the Network is replete with advertisements for the sale of so-called signal weapons. It's not just about starting pistols and rocket launchers.

The signal was intercepted

Photo: TASS/Sergey Karpukhin

For example, Kalashnikov signal assault rifles, which are exactly similar to their combat counterparts, are wildly popular. Upon closer examination, and most often from a detailed description, it follows that the item for sale is a cold weapon. And although the Kalash firing blanks can hardly be put on a par with a starting pistol, this is exactly what market players are counting on.

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By the way, the cost of a signal “Kalashnikov” averages 30 thousand rubles.

— Cleaned weapons, according to amendments to the law “On Weapons”, which come into force in June of the new year, will have to be registered. People who have these weapons in their hands will have to go register them. However, does everyone know that starting from June they are required to go to licensing and permitting departments? Often such things are bought as beautiful toys or as gifts, explained Vladislav Grinkevich, a publicist who writes on weapons topics.

The most important thing is to treat decommissioned weapons as weapons, and not as toys.

For those who own civilian hunting weapons or self-defense weapons, these rules have long been known.
For those who began their acquaintance with the world of weapons from a decommissioned, cold weapon, it is enough to study the rules of carrying, transporting, storing and shooting from civilian firearms. The vast majority of these rules should apply to decommissioned weapons. Even though there is no need to create special storage conditions for the “empty gun” (a safe or a metal box), it is still better to have one in order to limit the access of third parties to your weapon, which may include your children.

Question of wording

Lawyers link the initiative to closing a gap in gun laws.

“A signal weapon is a weapon that is structurally intended only for giving light, smoke or sound signals,” explains Maria Spiridonova, a member of the Russian Lawyers Association, a problematic legal situation. — At the same time, the Federal Law of December 13, 1996 No. 150-FZ “On Weapons” does not in any way regulate what types of signal weapons, except signal pistols, may be allowed for circulation in the country, and also does not establish any restrictions on their caliber.

At the same time, there are also signal machines available for free sale, some of which are made from military samples, despite the fact that their legal status is actually not defined, and they can pose a threat to the life and health of others, the lawyer points out.

The signal was intercepted

Photo: RIA Novosti/Sergey Pivovarov

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Self-defense situations

In any situation requiring self-defense, SHP is of little use. It cannot fire even rubber bullets, like traumatic pistols. Moreover, it may attract additional attention from the police if they feel that the cooled pistol was acquired in the wrong way.

Storage and wearing conditions

Unlike military or traumatic weapons, SHP does not require permission to carry. The cooled product can be carried in a backpack or bag, without open display, this will avoid attracting unnecessary attention to the owner.

Find out why a medical certificate for a weapon is required.

Seasoned in "alterations"

The obvious goal of law enforcement is to minimize the risk of firearms falling into the hands of criminals and inappropriate people.

“There should be no blanks on the market for conversion into military weapons,” says Sergei Grinin, chairman of the public organization Civil Security. — It is necessary to clarify that signal weapons are sold freely in our country, without a license.

Formally, a cold weapon is not a signal weapon; it is a different class, but in electronic weapons stores, Kalashnikov samples are sold under this marking.

“If you cool the weapon correctly, then it is unprofitable to restore the combat properties of such a model; it’s easier to re-manufacture it,” says the expert.

The signal was intercepted

Photo: IZVESTIA/Kristina Kormilitsyna

Moreover, the depth of cooling should be such as to make any attempts to restore functionality uninteresting.

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“If we are talking about limiting what can be restored, or to restore order in the drainage procedure, then this is a completely sound initiative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs,” the expert explained, making the reservation that the full official text of the initiative has not yet been made public.

Comparison of the cooled Makarov pistol PM R-411 and PM-SO

The PM R-411 is produced by IZHMASH on the basis of combat pistols that were stored in the warehouses of the Ministry of Defense and therefore have lost their service life. To simulate a shot in the P411, a 10TK light-noise cartridge produced by Tekhkrim CJSC is used.

The picture shows the P-411 with a technical passport.

The characteristics of the ammunition are summarized in Table 1.

Table 1 – Characteristics of the 10TK cartridge

10TK does not contain a damaging element. It must produce a light and noise effect when fired from a pistol. Modification of the 10TK by introducing a destructive element into the cartridge is illegal! In addition, firing such a cartridge can cause injury to the shooter.

The figure below shows an image of 10TK cartridges produced by Tekhkrim

To comply with PM R-411 legal requirements, the following changes were made to the design:

• a plug is installed at a distance of 5 mm from the muzzle, as a result of which it is physically impossible to fire a shot from a pistol with a solid striking element;
• The barrel on the breech side is narrowed by a sleeve secured with a permanently hardened pin in order to form a shorter chamber.
• the barrel is also secured with a pin to eliminate the possibility of conversion from cold to combat;
• a special groove is made in the frame of the gun, into which an additional lock is installed. As a result, installing a bolt from a combat pistol on the P411 is impossible.
• the number of the military weapon was ground off the bolt, otherwise it remained unchanged;
• the magazine holds 7 rounds;
• the mainspring is left the same;
• the R-411 barrel still has rifling.

Technical characteristics of R-411 are given in Table 2.

Table 2 – Technical characteristics of PM R-411

The R-411 differs from the combat pistol only in the presence of a plug in the barrel. This is a powerful argument for collectors.

The PM SO, like the R-411, is a blank mock-up of the Makarov Pistol. But at the same time it is 1/3 cheaper than its analogue. This difference is due to the fact that the R-411 is made on the basis of combat pistols, and the PM SO is made on the basis of firearms of limited destruction or simply traumatic pistols.

The figure shows the PM SO delivery box

Structurally, donors for LLCs were created on the basis of PMs produced in the 90s. What influenced the simplification of the technological process of pistol production, for example, the frame and bolt are not milled from solid blanks, but are produced by casting and after grinding. In addition, trigger parts are also cast, for example, the trigger, the trigger. This collectively reduced the cost of the pistol, but at the same time the service life also decreased.

During the manufacture of PS SM, the following changes were made to the pistol design:

• A sleeve with a cut is put on the barrel when heated, through which a pin enters the barrel at a distance of 4 mm from the muzzle. This was done to exclude the possibility of a shot with a hard striking element.
• The bolt and barrel are made as a single piece and cannot be disassembled.
• There is a pin installed in the PM SO bolt that prevents installation on combat or traumatic pistols.
• Its strength is specially reduced by a cut in the lower part, the so-called beard. Which, when trying to convert a pistol into a combat pistol, will lead to the destruction of the part when fired.

Since traumatic pistols were used to manufacture the PM SO, it does not bear traces of use, which is typical for the P-411, which, as a rule, was used in combat units and has abrasions on the bluing. Which may be the decisive reason for purchasing it for the collection.

For shots, the same 10 TK cartridge is used as in the R-411. The magazine is single-row, box-shaped, with 7 rounds; when used up, the pistol locks into a slide stop, similar to the combat model.

The characteristics of PM RM are summarized in Table 3.

Table 3 – Characteristics of PM CO

Stunt weapons

But there are categories of people and representatives of professions for whom innovations will become uncomfortable.

— Some people collect coins, some people collect cars, and there are people who love weapons. And they don’t always need it to shoot. People have collections of rifles and machine guns from different eras; they are interested in this from a historical point of view. In the end, there are actors and stuntmen - for their work they need weapons that simulate shooting,” weapons blogger Ivan Sobolev shared his opinion.

The signal was intercepted

Photo: RIA Novosti/Ilya Pitalev

What weapons are sold as decommissioned

In Federal Law No. 150, or more precisely in Article 13, there is the concept of decommissioned weapons. It is in this category that all cold trunks fall. Previously, agricultural production was not regulated by anything and was not mentioned in the laws of the Russian Federation.

Who buys agricultural products

Disposable items are purchased by collectors, individuals, military and various civilian organizations. For example, military historical communities or participants in role-playing games willingly buy agricultural products from eras of interest to them.

Where to shoot cooled weapons

SHP shooting simulates a shot from a real weapon quite well. In this regard, it is actively used:

1. 1. for filming action films,
2. 2. detectives,
3. 3. war films,
4. 4. historical cinema,
5. 5. in the theater,
6. 6. for the reconstruction of military operations.

The use of light and sound cartridges makes it possible to achieve almost 100% realism.

If in order to own a traumatic weapon you need permission and passing a medical examination, then in the case of SHP everything is much simpler. Thus, the converted machine gun is quite suitable for self-defense - with its appearance and loud firing of blank cartridges, it can frighten the enemy. Such exploitation will not cause injury and, as a consequence, subsequent proceedings in law enforcement agencies regarding the legality of using the “trauma.”

Interesting examples of agricultural products of historical value are eagerly purchased by collectors. Also, cold weapons are used to decorate the home, in the interiors of cafes and restaurants designed in the style of a hunting lodge and similar themes.

In the army and law enforcement agencies, SHP cannot be used during practical training in handling weapons. Such samples, although not completely identical to their comrades, make it possible to feel the weight, assemble and disassemble, study the technical side and understand how the mechanisms work. Moreover, such weapons are safe, and even if a beginner makes a mistake, it will not be fatal.

Regardless of the area of ​​application of SCPs, those who decide to buy them should know some of the nuances of wearing and using them.

Traumatic pistol PHANTOM, a copy of the GLOK 17 pistol, for 9 mm RA caliber