PODGORICA -- The Montenegrin government has announced a raft of new gun-control measures, following a mass shooting that killed 12 people, including two children.
The shooting took place on January 1 in the western Montenegrin city of Cetinje. Four other people were injured.
Montenegrin Prime Minister Milojko Spajic announced the proposed new Law on Weapons on January 3 following a seven-hour session of the National Security Council, which is chaired by the country's president.
The proposed law will mandate the reverification of existing weapons licenses and impose severe penalties for those who fail to surrender illegal weapons within a two-month period. Spajic also said that hunting clubs would be verified and the authorities would establish an anonymous tip line where citizens can report illegal weapons possession for a reward.
Manhunt
The suspected shooter, Aco Martinovic, died on the way to the hospital after attempting suicide following the killings and subsequent manhunt.
Martinovic had previously had illegal weapons confiscated in 2022 and received a three-month prison sentence in late 2024, which he had appealed.
Police have not yet revealed the identities of the victims, but they are believed to have been relatives, friends, and godparents of Martinovic.
While estimates vary, Montenegro has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in Europe. In the country of just over 620,000 people, there are about 245,000 firearms in use, according to the Swiss-based Small Arms Survey.
Other estimates suggest the figure is lower. According to 2022 police data provided to RFE/RL's Balkan Service, there are over 100,000 legally owned weapons in Montenegro, while illegal firearms are estimated to number between 40,000 and 80,000.
The prime minister also highlighted staff shortages in law enforcement, noting that around 1,000 police officers had retired in the previous two years. He announced his intention to expedite the hiring of 200 additional officers.
During the incident, Cetinje, a city and municipal area of around 15,000 people, was protected by only about a dozen officers. An additional 150 officers from the capital, Podgorica, and other cities later were brought in to assist with the manhunt.
Police Response Criticized
Addressing questions about the police response, Spajic said that all murders occurred within 20 minutes across five locations, describing it as "a tsunami of violence." He said that police only learned about the crimes after the eighth victim was killed. It took five and a half hours from the last victim's death to Martinovic's body being found.
During the National Security Council session, hundreds of citizens protested outside the government building, demanding changes in the leadership of law enforcement agencies. The country began three days of mourning on January 2.
The prime minister said there were no discussions about resignations in law enforcement, saying: "We need to support the police at a time like this."
When questioned about potentially dismissing Interior Minister Danilo Saranovic, Spajic said that he "never blames the people below him," though he acknowledged that a statement the interior minister made about returning to "normal life" after the incident was unfortunate. Saranovic also reportedly said that the police deserved congratulations for their response to the massacre.
The Action for Human Rights and the Center for Women's Rights NGOs called for a thorough examination of the police response, saying that Cetinje had only a minimal police presence despite being home to 120 known organized crime members and having experienced a similar massacre in August 2022, when an attacker killed 10 people and wounded six before being killed by a passerby.
The organizations questioned what security improvements had been implemented since 2022 and why Cetinje remained vulnerable to such incidents.
