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Colombia Lifts Firearm Carry Ban Under President De La Espriella
(MENAFN) Colombian President Abelardo De La Espriella announced Tuesday that he had signed a decree ending the nationwide suspension on permits to carry firearms, framing the move as protection for law-abiding citizens paired with continued strict oversight.
"I signed the decree that lifts the general suspension of permits to carry firearms in Colombia," De La Espriella wrote in a post on X.
"For years, law-abiding citizens were restricted while criminals continued arming themselves illegally to the teeth. That has to change," he added.
De La Espriella pointed to seizure data as evidence of where the country's "true threat" actually lies, citing figures on weapons confiscated by security forces between Jan. 1 and Sept. 3.
Over that stretch, authorities recovered 15,700 firearms, with 14,179 of them tied to criminal activity, according to the president's figures.
He broke down the numbers further: 980 of the confiscated weapons were linked to dissident armed factions, 551 to the Clan del Golfo, and 339 to the National Liberation Army (ELN). Among the weaponry tied to dissident groups were 380 rifles and 65 mortars of 60-millimeter caliber, he said.
"This does NOT mean indiscriminate carrying," he said, stressing that strict controls, requirements and permits from the appropriate authorities would stay firmly in place.
"What ends is the general suspension that turned prohibition into the rule," De La Espriella said.
He indicated his administration's focus would remain on stripping illegal weapons from criminal organizations while safeguarding the rights of citizens who follow the law.
"Law-abiding citizens who strictly comply with the law will have guarantees within the law. Criminals illegally carrying weapons will face the full weight of the law and all the legitimate force of the state," he said.
He argued that security policy could no longer rest on disarming law-abiding citizens while leaving criminal actors fully armed.
The decree represents a marked reversal in Colombia's firearms policy under De La Espriella, even as the underlying legal framework governing who may carry weapons remains intact.
"I signed the decree that lifts the general suspension of permits to carry firearms in Colombia," De La Espriella wrote in a post on X.
"For years, law-abiding citizens were restricted while criminals continued arming themselves illegally to the teeth. That has to change," he added.
De La Espriella pointed to seizure data as evidence of where the country's "true threat" actually lies, citing figures on weapons confiscated by security forces between Jan. 1 and Sept. 3.
Over that stretch, authorities recovered 15,700 firearms, with 14,179 of them tied to criminal activity, according to the president's figures.
He broke down the numbers further: 980 of the confiscated weapons were linked to dissident armed factions, 551 to the Clan del Golfo, and 339 to the National Liberation Army (ELN). Among the weaponry tied to dissident groups were 380 rifles and 65 mortars of 60-millimeter caliber, he said.
"This does NOT mean indiscriminate carrying," he said, stressing that strict controls, requirements and permits from the appropriate authorities would stay firmly in place.
"What ends is the general suspension that turned prohibition into the rule," De La Espriella said.
He indicated his administration's focus would remain on stripping illegal weapons from criminal organizations while safeguarding the rights of citizens who follow the law.
"Law-abiding citizens who strictly comply with the law will have guarantees within the law. Criminals illegally carrying weapons will face the full weight of the law and all the legitimate force of the state," he said.
He argued that security policy could no longer rest on disarming law-abiding citizens while leaving criminal actors fully armed.
The decree represents a marked reversal in Colombia's firearms policy under De La Espriella, even as the underlying legal framework governing who may carry weapons remains intact.
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