The police are a state armed executive body. Each active employee of the internal affairs bodies is assigned a personal firearm - a pistol. For the most part, this is the well-known PM ( Makarov Pistol ), adopted for service in the distant 1951. But before gaining access to the gun, employees will have to memorize safety measures when handling weapons, take a training shooting course and pass an exam on knowledge of the material part of the weapon and the legal basis for its use.
Who is entitled to carry a pistol?
Firearms are assigned to newly arrived officers of the internal affairs bodies who have successfully passed the examination for knowledge of the material part. Everyone who uses a gun should know what parts and mechanisms it consists of, how these parts interact with each other. If necessary, the employee must be able to quickly fix minor problems and deal with delays during shooting. The life of a policeman, citizens, and the safety of weapons may depend on knowledge of the material part.
In addition to the exam in the materiel, an instruction is being studied, which is called "Security measures when handling weapons and ammunition." Knowledge of the instructions is evaluated on a five-point scale. Only a rating of "excellent" opens access to the next level - training firing. The firing process was approved by order of the Ministry of the Interior. Only after passing all three tests (material part, security measures when handling weapons, training shooting) does the head of the internal affairs agency assign a personal pistol to the employee.
Training firing
Training and instructional firing should be carried out regularly with the personnel of the internal affairs body, preferably at least once a week. The procedure for firing, performing pistol and machine gun shooting exercises, requirements for targets and scoring for shooting are regulated by order of the Ministry of the Interior No. 1030 dsk from 2012. This order is marked “For official use” and is not freely available on the Internet.
When conducting firing, employees must ensure that security measures are strictly followed when handling weapons. The normative document states that training and training exercises in shooting can be carried out both in a closed shooting gallery, and in an open, both in the daytime and in the dark. An important nuance is that for different services there are different exercises and weapons from which they are performed. So, shooting from a sniper rifle and a grenade launcher is carried out exclusively by special forces.
What is strictly forbidden to do during firing?
Security measures when handling weapons during firing are the key to productive, quality work. It is imperative that all requirements, instructions and orders of the shooting director, who is appointed from among the command staff, are met. According to the documents during the shooting it is strictly forbidden:
- take a position at a firing line without a command from the leader;
- open and fire without a team;
- point weapons towards people and places in which they may be;
- leave weapons unattended at the firing line;
- transfer weapons to third parties;
- continue firing when the white flag is raised at the command post (when the white light is on - in the dark);
Failure to comply with these requirements entails disciplinary liability.
Service with weapons
After the police officer received his personal pistol, he became a full-fledged employee of the internal affairs bodies, who can join the service as part of investigative-operational groups or to perform other assigned tasks.
Demanding compliance with security measures when handling weapons and ammunition, the Ministry of Internal Affairs is trying to reduce the occurrence of emergency situations among personnel. Quite often, young and inexperienced employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, not realizing the seriousness of gun ownership, engage in childishness. This behavior is unacceptable. Observing safety measures when handling weapons and during firing, experienced police officers set an example for young police officers and teach them how to behave. The police officer is personally responsible for his weapons and for actions with him. Having completed the task, having completed his service, the employee of the internal affairs bodies is obliged to immediately hand over his gun to the duty department of the police department.
What can not be done while serving with weapons?
When serving, the employee must strictly adhere to the rules for handling weapons. The policeman is responsible for the safety and proper operation of service firearms. The gun should always be considered charged until it is inspected and discharged. Do not clean it in unspecified places, use flammable liquids for cleaning. It is extremely dangerous to plug the barrel of the gun, as this can lead to inflation and rupture of the barrel. It is unacceptable to use a gun to intimidate anyone, even let offenders. It is forbidden to remove the gun from the holster without an obvious need. In addition, it is forbidden to send the cartridge into the chamber (charge) and hold your finger on the trigger without the need. Such actions can lead to an accidental shot, which, in turn, is dangerous injuring a police officer or civilians. Security measures when handling weapons in the service are prescribed in regulatory documents and are subject to careful study and impeccable implementation.
Storage and distribution of service weapons
The policeman, for whom the pistol is fixed, relies on responsibility for his savings in the performance of tasks and service. The rest of the time, the gun is saved in the duty department of the police department. Service firearms are stored in metal safes in special rooms equipped with alarms.
The officer on duty at the internal affairs body, at the command of the chief or his deputy, conducts arming of the task force. Each time, entering the service, employees are given their pistols, observing safety measures when handling weapons and ammunition. The policeman checks the numbers on the parts and mechanisms of the pistol, making sure that he received exactly his weapon.
Instead of “Makarov” they leave a special substitute card. Upon receipt of a pistol by an employee, an inspection of all parts and mechanisms is carried out, their relationship and work are checked. Be sure to check the presence of a cartridge in the chamber, after which a control descent and a fuse are carried out. Having carefully studied the cartridges for plaque and contaminants, it is necessary to immediately eliminate them, if any. After loading the magazines without removing the pistol from the holster, a police officer inserts one magazine into the base of the pistol grip, and the second into a special pocket on the holster. In short, these are security measures when handling weapons of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation when issuing weapons.
Possible malfunctions
The gun is a rather complex mechanism consisting of dozens of parts. There are frequent cases when a particular detail becomes dirty, breaks down - in other words, it becomes worthless.
Having studied the Makarov pistol (PM) for many years , gunsmiths compiled a list of the most common malfunctions and delays in firing. Surely the most common delay when shooting is grabbing the cartridge case with a pistol shutter window. In second place is the failure to deliver the cartridge from the magazine to the chamber. The listed problems can be eliminated by ordinary cleaning from plaque and dirt. The next item is automatic firing - a rather dangerous malfunction, in which the gun can shoot all eight rounds from the magazine with one click on the trigger. In this case, you cannot fix the gun yourself. A qualified repair is required in the workshop. By strictly observing safety measures when handling PM weapons, you can avoid injuries and achieve excellent shooting results.
Use of weapons
Police officers, according to Art. 23 of the Law "On Police" have the right to use firearms:
- to protect yourself or another person from unlawful encroachment, which is dangerous to life and health;
- to suppress attempts to seize weapons, police vehicles, special equipment;
- to free hostages;
- to detain an offender who has committed a serious crime and is trying to escape;
- to detain a person who does not comply with the legal requirements of the police and carries out armed resistance;
- to repel an attack on the premises of organizations, private individuals;
- to prevent the escape from prison.
The use of weapons is provided for in that article and implies:
- destruction of locking devices;
- neutralization of dogs that pose a danger to the health of a police officer;
- vehicle installation by its destruction if the driver poses a threat to the life and health of citizens.
Knowledge of the legal basis for the use of weapons is mandatory. Anyone who has not passed the test in this subject is not allowed to continue serving with weapons.
Responsibility for violating the rules of handling weapons
Weapon security measures must be followed by all employees, without exception. The health and life of people can depend on this. The law provides for several types of penalties for violating the rules and requirements of instructions and orders establishing security measures when handling weapons. For such violations as firing without a command from the shooting leader, pointing the gun to the side of the people, disciplinary sanctions are provided: warning, reprimand, severe reprimand with registration in a private matter. For violations that entailed serious consequences, such as injury or death of a person, the perpetrator is subject to criminal liability, according to the chapter of the Criminal Code on crimes against life and health.
Airguns and their operation
Today, pistols, rifles and machine guns of a pneumatic type are quite widespread. They have a plastic shell or a steel ball, a bullet. It is driven by compressed air, which is contained in cylinders or is produced by an electric motor. Most often, such weapons are used for sports and recreational shooting. It can’t do much harm to human health, but some safety measures are nevertheless necessary. Firstly, weapons, even pneumatic ones, are not a toy for children. Persons under 16 must not have access to pneumatics. Secondly, when conducting sports or recreational shooting, you need to take care of the eye protection. Use tactical goggles or a helmet mask.
Epilogue
Compliance with security measures when handling weapons and ammunition is not a whim, but a necessity that can save someone's life or health. When carrying out service with weapons, when receiving and delivering service weapons, during training firing, police officers must perfectly know and comply with the requirements of security measures.