It has been approved by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey! Penalties for unauthorized use of flashing lights and firearms have been increased.

Changes are being made in accordance with the decision of the Constitutional Court regarding the Law on Internal Security and the Law on Amendments to the Decree Law No. 375, which includes regulations in the field of internal security.

REGULATIONS REGARDING THE PROVINCIAL ADMINISTRATIVE AUTHORITY

According to the regulation made in the Law on Internal Security, candidates for district governors must graduate from faculties of international relations, political science, public administration, economics, business administration, finance, econometrics, labor economics, and industrial relations of universities in Turkey or foreign universities whose diploma equivalence is approved by the Council of Higher Education, providing that they have completed at least 4 years of undergraduate education, or from law faculties, or from engineering faculties of universities, as well as from departments of history, sociology, public relations and promotion, psychology, or other departments that have at least 80% of the courses included in the curriculum of any of these departments, and they must have completed a master's degree with a thesis in the fields of international relations, political science, public administration, law, finance, and economics.

Those who have served as district governors for at least 3 years and are appointed to higher-level public administrator positions by the President, as well as those selected or appointed to the Presidential and Grand National Assembly of Turkey positions according to relevant legislation, and those elected or appointed to the positions of mayor, deputy mayor, general secretary in metropolitan municipality organizations, and general director positions in affiliated organizations of metropolitan municipalities will have their service periods in these positions counted as service in the Provincial Administrative Authority Services Class.

Reviews and evaluations to determine first-class provincial administrative authorities will be conducted by the Ministry of Interior at most twice a year.

Those who are not promoted to first-class provincial administrative authority status may be subjected to a first-class review again in the first evaluation to be conducted after the decision date.

The financial rights of those appointed to equivalent positions of general director in the central organization of the Ministry of Interior and its affiliated, related, and associated institutions from among the provincial governors or those who have served as provincial governors will continue to be provided based on the payment elements belonging to the provincial governor, provided that they remain in their appointed positions, excluding payments based on actual work.

REGULATIONS REGARDING THE POLICE CARE AND ASSISTANCE FUND

To personnel of the General Directorate of Security who perform their assigned duties with courage, sacrifice, heroism, or outstanding success, the Minister of Interior may award the "Police Superior Courage and Sacrifice Medal," "Police Honor Medal," and "Police Superior Service Medal."

Regulations regarding the Police Care and Assistance Fund are being made in the Law on the Security Organization. Accordingly, fund members will consist of members of the Security Organization and those who have retired while their membership continues and left their participation fees in the fund.

The fund will be an organization that is subject to public law in its relations with its members, and to private law provisions in all other transactions, and will have financial and administrative autonomy and legal personality.

The fund's revenues will consist of membership fees, participation fees, income obtained from all kinds of investments and activities carried out for the evaluation of these fees, and donations and aids. The membership fee will be 9% of the monthly amount subject to retirement deductions or the amount subject to premiums. The General Assembly of the Fund will be authorized to increase or decrease this rate by up to 5 points.

Those who started their duties in the Security Organization before December 28, 2018, and continue their duties in the Organization will be able to become members of the Fund. These members will be able to withdraw their fees, including interest, after 3 years from their entry into the Fund. However, those who leave their membership will not be accepted back into the Fund.

The Fund will provide retirement assistance, disability assistance, and death assistance to its members who are members of the Security Organization or to their heirs in case of their deaths; and participation fees, profit shares, and death assistance to retired members.

The organs of the Fund, the manner and principles by which the members of the board will be determined, elections, duties, entry into membership, fees, participation fees, withdrawal from partnership and suspension of partnership, deductions to be made, aids and participation fee profit shares, the Fund's revenues and the management of its assets, and the social services to be provided, audits and investigations, accounting year, budget, distribution of net profit, and other procedures and principles regarding the services to be provided will be determined by the regulation issued by the President.

PARTS OF FIREARMS WILL ALSO BE INCLUDED IN THE SCOPE OF THE LAW

The importation, manufacture, sale, purchase, transportation, or possession of the main or ballistically significant parts of firearms, including barrels, slides, bodies, frames, cylinders, mechanism heads, extractors, claws, and firing pins, will be included within the scope of the provisions of the Law on Firearms, Knives, and Other Tools.

No time limit will be sought in the records and documents granting individuals permission to possess or carry weapons for weapons gifted under the provisions of the Law on Firearms, Knives, and Other Tools.

No time limit will be sought for the licenses to be obtained by veterans and their parents, spouses, and children, or if there are no heirs.

Records and documents granting individuals permission to possess or carry weapons for gifted weapons will be exempt from all kinds of taxes, duties, and fees.

REISSUANCE OF LICENSES FOR THOSE WHO LOSE OR HAVE THEIR WEAPONS STOLEN

With the amendment to the Law on Firearms, Knives, and Other Tools, those who have their weapons stolen for the second time or lose their weapons for the second time will be granted permission to carry or possess a single weapon in their new weapon applications. In the case of transfer of this weapon, permission to carry or possess will be granted again.

The renewal of licenses for firearms owned by license holders that are not lost or stolen will not be evaluated under these provisions.

The firearm certificate of those whose firearm has been stolen for the third time or who have lost their firearm for the third time will be revoked, and these individuals will not be granted permission to possess or carry firearms until 5 years have passed from the date of the act. After 5 years have passed from the date of the act, these individuals will be granted permission to carry or possess only one firearm in their new firearm applications.

Those who bring into the country the main or ballistically significant parts of firearms, which consist of the barrel, slide, body, frame, cylinder, mechanism head, extractor, claw, and firing pin, as well as those who facilitate their entry into the country, those who do so outside the provisions of the law, those who transport them from one place to another, and those who sell them will face imprisonment of 5 to 12 years and judicial fines ranging from 500 days to 5,000 days.

The act of converting a weapon that can fire blank cartridges or gas cartridges, referred to as "blank-firing," into a weapon subject to legal regulations by making changes to its technical specifications will be considered production carried out outside the provisions of the Law on the Control of War Materials and the Production of Weapons, Ammunition, and Explosive Materials, and will be punished. If the converted weapon is not serious in terms of quantity and quality, the penalty to be imposed will be reduced to between one-third and one-half of the original sentence.