Montenegro’s National Security Council considered new gun controls Friday, including a “complete” gun ban, in response to the New Year’s Day attack that killed 12 people.

The Washington Post noted that the shooter, 45-year-old Aleksandar Martinovic, shot himself after police cornered him. The Associated Press pointed out Martinovic apparently began his rampage following a “bar brawl,” after which he retrieved his gun and killed 12 innocents.

Martinovic used a 9mm firearm and police believe he fired a total of 37 rounds, based on shell casings found at the various places where he fired shots.

Montenegro, a Balkan country of approximately 620,000 citizens, “is sixth in the world when it comes to the number of illegal weapons per capita.” Despite this, the Post observed that Montenegro “has… relatively few mass shootings.”

Citizens and state officials attend a state commemoration, three days after a gunman killed 12 people including two children in a shooting rampage in Cetinje, Montenegro, on January 4, 2025.  The 45-year-old man opened fire at a restaurant in the town of Cetinje, beginning a killing spree that prompted the government to announce three days of national mourning. (SAVO PRELEVIC/AFP via Getty)

In a post to X, Prime Minister Milojko Spajić said the National Security Council would consider a “complete ban on gun ownership,” among other controls but an AP report indicates the council instead opted for “draconian” punishments for people in possession of illegal guns.

On the topic of illegal gun owners, Spajic said, “There will be no mercy for these people. They will end up in prison.”

Montenegro witnessed another mass shooting in August 2022, an incident in which ten innocents were killed.