Serbians take action after mass shootings

Following two mass shootings in less than 48 hours, thousands of Serbians took to the streets to demand action to protect their population against gun violence. In an address to the nation, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić called the shootings an “attack on our entire country” and pledged to “disarm” the country. So far, at least 13,000 weapons, including grenades and rocket launchers, have been voluntarily surrendered to authorities.

Video transcript

- Thousands of Serbians took to the streets to protest against gun violence last week, after the country experienced two mass shootings in just 48 hours. Of the 17 who died and the 21 who were injured, many were children. Crowds gathered in the Serbian capital of Belgrade to call for the resignation of top government officials, stronger safety protections, and a ban on violent content in the media, which many in the country blame for the attacks.

Despite high gun ownership in Serbia, mass shootings are incredibly rare. Of the 6.8 million population, there are 760,000 registered guns. But it is believed that plenty more are illegally owned. In his address to the nation, Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic condemned the shootings, calling them an attack on the entire country, and pledged to remove both illegal and registered guns in a bid to disarm the country.

[MUSIC PLAYING]