On Wednesday, April 17, the lower house of Russian parliament, the State Duma, approved in the first reading a bill toughening punishment for shooting in public places.

      The new draft proposes amendments to the current Russian Administrative Offenses Code. According to it, those shooting in inhabited localities and at sites where shooting is not allowed will be fined 50,000 rubles ($1,575), their weapons license suspended, weapons seized, and may also face short jail terms of up to 15 days. The current fines are much lower - about 2,000-5,000 rubles (63-$158)

      The toughening of legislation follows a few incidents in Russia last year when participants of wedding corteges opened fire on the streets to celebrate the occasions. In particular, in September 2012, a wedding motorcade caused shock and alarm among Moscow residents when guests started shooting into the air from rubber-bullet handguns and blocked a road in the city center. About 15 people were arrested then, they were fined and released.