Firearms Policy in Habsburg Bosnia during the Crisis (1912–1918)

Abstract

The Austro-Hungarian administration in Bosnia and Herzegovina maintained a strict policy of civilian firearms control to ensure the stability of the established order. Although significant for understanding the security landscape, the specific dynamics of this policy during the turbulent period from the beginning of the Balkan Wars to the dissolution of the Monarchy remain under-examined. This paper examines how Austro-Hungarian authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina managed civilian possession of firearms in the period, revealing how the firearms policy became increasingly repressive, but failed to mitigate the rising insecurity. Through an analysis of scholarly literature and unpublished archival materials, the study demonstrates that the tightening of measures during the crisis led, for the first time, to the differentiated treatment of the population — in terms of firearms policy — along confessional lines, albeit temporarily, then to a complete prohibition on civilian firearms possession, followed by more extensive control of illegal activities, illustrating both successes and failures. These findings underscore how firearms control served as an indicator of the Monarchy’s declining authority in the South Slavic lands during the First World War.