Serbs handed in more than 3,000 illegal weapons and parts in the first two days of an arms amnesty introduced after two mass shootings that killed 17 people, said President Aleksandar Vucic, quoted by Reuters.

The amnesty began Monday after a 13-year-old student with two guns killed eight students and a security guard. Six other students and a teacher were injured.

He is currently in custody and undergoing a psychological examination, but cannot be held criminally responsible due to his age. Police said he confessed to the shooting.

Last Thursday, a man carrying an assault rifle and a pistol killed eight and wounded 14 people in two villages in central Serbia. The 21-year-old suspect is now in custody.

Vucic said that people have so far handed in more than 3,000 weapons, without specifying which ones.

In previous amnesties held over the past two decades, people have turned in banned military weapons, hunting weapons, pistols, as well as barrels, locking mechanisms and other parts.

Tens of thousands of cartridges were also handed over.

"This is good news because the risk is much lower," Vucic said in a televised statement.

Under the terms of the amnesty, people are invited to hand in illegal weapons, including military, legally owned weapons they no longer want and ammunition, anonymously and without fear of prosecution.
Police departments urged people in possession of explosives or ammunition not to bring them into precincts, but instead to wait for trained personnel to remove and dispose of them.

Vucic previously announced additional checks on registered gun owners and shooting ranges, an increased police presence in schools and changes to the criminal code that provide for longer prison terms for gun-related crimes.

Also on Wednesday, police said they had detained the father of the suspect in last week's shooting in central Serbia, Tanjug news agency reported.

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