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Stricter controls on licenses for guns that fire plastic bullets will not result in a cut in the crime rate, according to Interior Minister Yuriy Lutsenko.

"What is the most common cause of guns being used? Mainly, it's drunkenness. So are we going to ban vodka? Prohibitions on carrying such guns will not decrease crime," the minister said in an interview with the newspaper Segodnya published on Tuesday.

"I can assure you; today more than 800,000 firearms are being carried legally by the public. These are of various types – hunting, military, guns that fire plastic bullets, and pneumatic weapons… Plus every year we issue more than 50,000 gun licenses. Does this lead to a substantial rise in crime? Honestly speaking, it does not," Lutsenko said.

"The guns [with plastic bullets] have undergone expert studies, [and] their shots do not cause fatalities. Draft regulations prepared by the Interior Ministry have been adopted by the Justice Ministry and will be soon considered by the Cabinet of Ministers," the minister added.

According to Lutsenko, only citizens who pass a medical examination, who have no previous convictions and legal issues, and who have completed a special course on weapons use at their local police department would be given right to buy handguns.