The Russian OSA
Here on this side of the pond, less than lethal weapons normally mean Tasers, pepper spray, and alarm devices. Well in Russia, things get a little more real.
Even under the repressive rule of the Tsars, private ownership of handguns, rifles, and shotguns was legal and even encouraged through the sale of surplus military weapons. In Soviet Russia, this changed as communists made it illegal to own handguns. Today these laws are still on the books in Vladimir Putin’s Russia. You can own some simple shotguns and rifles for hunting purposes (with a permit) but private ownership of handguns and even powerful air guns has largely been illegal for nearly a century. Impact weapons such as batons, slaps, blackjacks, etc. are illegal as well. Even possession of a normal item, like a pipe or wrench, can be enough to charge a citizen with carrying a weapon if they have no clear reason (such as a plumber on the way to a job) to have it with them. So what do Russians use for personal defense beside bad breath and the occasional
vodka bottle? …..The OSA.
Read the rest in my column at Firearms Talk
