During the Russian Civil War, the Soviet government allowed a variety of small arms and bladed weapons.
[1] On December 12, 1924, the Central Executive Committee of the USSR promulgated its degree "On the procedure of production, trade, storage, use, keeping and carrying firearms, firearm ammunition, explosive projectiles and explosives", all weapons were classified and divided into categories.
Since March 1933 the manufacture, possession, purchase, sale of firearms (except for smoothbore hunting weapons) without proper authorization was punishable by up to five years in prison.
[citation needed] During the Great Patriotic War, the civilian population had to hand over all personal hunting weapons to the Red Army for defence against the German invasion.
After the death of Joseph Stalin in 1953, the USSR saw a small wave of liberalisations for civilian gun ownership.