The mass shootings committed on May 3 and 4, 2023, at the Vladislav Ribnikar Elementary School in Belgrade and in the villages of Malo Orašje and Dubona near Mladenovac marked a turning point for Serbia’s security policy. Within a matter of days, the state responded decisively: a large-scale weapons surrender campaign was launched, a moratorium on issuing new permits was introduced, penalties were tightened, and police were deployed in schools. A strong message of control and stabilization was sent to the public. However, the key question this paper raises is whether this response marked the beginning of a deeper structural reform, or whether it remained within the realm of crisis mobilization.
