Age for employment in State Guard Service may be reduced from 21 to 18

The legislative body on Thursday will debate a bill providing for the decrease in the lower age limit at which persons are accepted to work in the State Guard and Protection Service from 21 to 18, Info-Prim Neo reports. MP Petru Stirbate said the bill was submitted by the commission on national security, defense and public order, which argued that more people should be offered the possibility of competing for posts in the given service. Communist lawmaker Tatiana Botnariuc and Liberal MP Gheorghe Brega said they are against these amendments as the persons aged 18 are too young to use guns. “I think it is not right to allow a young person who recently finished the high school to use a gun. I'm definitely against this bill,” Tatiana Botnariuc said in a meeting of the commission on social protection, health and family. Gheorghe Brega said the young people should be taught to use firearms during at least a year. Petre Stirbu, of the PLDM, replied that the law on guns says the persons who turned 18 have the right to own firearms. Valentina Stratan, of the Democratic parliamentary group, said it was the Communist Party that decreased the age at which the persons can obtain a gun permit from 21 to 18. The bill is to be discussed in Parliament. It should be also approved by the Ministry of the Interior.