Colombia's new president lifts decade-long ban on carrying firearms

Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella signed a decree ending the general suspension of permits to carry firearms, a restriction in place since 2015. The move fulfills a campaign promise to take a tougher stance on crime, but critics warn it could increase deadly violence.

Bottom line — Some 700,000 permit holders can now carry registered guns in public, per El País.

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• The original suspension was imposed by then-President Juan Manuel Santos in December 2015 as a temporary measure for the holidays, but was extended yearly by Santos and his successors Iván Duque and Gustavo Petro, per BBC News.
• De la Espriella argued the restriction left law-abiding citizens unable to defend themselves against criminals, who he said continue to arm themselves illegally, according to Colombia News.
• The decree does not create a free-for-all — strict controls, including background checks and fitness tests, remain in place, the president said, per ColombiaOne.
• Green Alliance Senator Ariel Ávila called the move a “grave error,” contending legally held guns will end up with criminals and that only state forces should carry weapons, per BBC News.
• De la Espriella noted authorities have seized over 15,000 illegal firearms so far this year, mostly from breakaway Farc factions and the Gulf Clan, per BBC News and ColombiaOne.
• Experts consulted by El Colombiano warned that evidence from other countries shows lifting gun bans tends to increase citizen-on-citizen violence, per Colombia News.

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