"We all possess firearms, but no one will openly admit it," said Ivan M. (38) from Novi Sad. The full names of the people who spoke to DW for this story are known to the author. They agreed to speak on the condition that their full names not be published.

As if to illustrate his claim, Ivan's family remains tight-lipped about exactly what firearms it has.

Ivona R. (40) from Novi Sad, on the other hand, acknowledges that she inherited a gun from her late father, while Goran P. (59) from a small town in the province of Vojvodina makes no bones about the fact that he has been a firearm owner for most of his life.

All those who spoke to DW about firearm ownership in Serbia lead quiet lives and have no imminent security concerns. This is typical in Serbia, where firearm possession often stems from tradition rather than genuine security threats.

"Assessments indicate that civilians here are often better armed than the police," security expert Branislava Kostic explained. "Many own guns for traditional reasons, believing that the head of the household should have one. This cultural norm is evident at events like weddings and celebrations."

This cultural affinity with firearms is corroborated by the Swiss Small Arms Survey research project, which ranked Serbia third in the world for civilian firearm ownership in 2017, trailing only Yemen and the US. The survey estimates there are 39.1 light weapons per hundred inhabitants in Serbia.

However, two mass........

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