Airport and subway guards will be given tasers

Transport security officers will be adequately armed: a bill on this has been submitted to the State Duma, and the parliamentary majority is going to support the amendments.

The author of the bill was the representative of United Russia, Deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Security and Anti-Corruption Anatoly Vyborny. He proposed to give employees of transport security units (PTB) the right to use electric shock devices. This refers to those who ensure security at airports, train stations, in the subway, etc. Such a right has already been granted, including police officers, military personnel of the Russian Guard.

PTB employees now have the right to carry official firearms. However, its use by transport security units is strictly limited - such weapons cannot be used in places of mass residence of people, the deputy recalls.

At the same time, the threat is more than real, according to Vyborny. He cited statistics according to which, last year in Russia, 467 illegal actions were recorded at transport infrastructure facilities that threaten the safe operation of the transport complex and can cause harm to human life and health. This figure includes the tragedy in the St. Petersburg metro.

In addition, over the past year, PTB employees in Russia seized 247 firearms, 56.5 thousand ammunition and 32 kg of explosives. And often the PTB employees seize these weapons, being actually unarmed themselves.

The proposed bill proposes to correct the situation by giving PTB employees the right to carry and use electroshock devices. "I am convinced that expanding the arsenal of PTB defensive capabilities will not only give more confidence to those who serve in places of mass stay of people, but also generally increase the level of security at airports, in the subway and other transport infrastructure facilities," Anatoly Vyborny explained.

The day before, the bill received a positive opinion from the government of the Russian Federation and was approved at a meeting of the Coordinating Council of the United Russia Party faction.

"You know that airports and train stations in these difficult times are places of increased danger. They are being subjected to terrorist attacks, there are clashes between bandit groups," Andrei Isaev, the first deputy head of the faction, told reporters earlier after a meeting of the coordinating council headed by him.

According to him, it is extremely dangerous to use firearms in such areas, as these are places of mass gathering of people. As for tasers, these weapons "in this case will make non-departmental security personnel unarmed in the face of danger, but at the same time reduces the risks for other citizens who are in these crowded places."