Colombia’s right-wing president, Abelardo de la Espriella, is easing gun restrictions in a country with one of the highest rates of firearm deaths in South America.
“For years, citizens who obey the law were restricted while criminals continued arming themselves to the teeth illegally. That has to change,” de la Espriella said on X on September 8.
Shortly after, the Ministry of Defense shared a document officializing the decree.
Critics of the move included de la Espriella’s rival in the 2026 elections, Iván Cepeda, who wrote on X that “adding widespread and indiscriminate legal firearm carry to a society where hundreds of thousands of people have been murdered with firearms in recent decades is a criminal decision.”
Cepeda added, “History shows us that the proliferation of weapons is not the path to protecting human life.”
Despite its high rates of gun violence, Colombia has relatively restrictive gun laws, especially compared to countries like the United States.
The right to own firearms is enshrined in Colombia’s Constitution. Civilians above age 18 can own guns, but must go through a stringent background check that includes a criminal and mental health review. They also must justify the use of the firearm, either for work or self-defense, and there are restrictions on automatic weapons.
Past governments, including those of right-wing President Iván Duque and leftist Gustavo Petro, have supported restrictions on carrying legally owned firearms in public, meaning that people with permits to own guns needed to gain additional authorization to carry them outside of the home.
De la Espriella’s decree lifts the restriction on carrying firearms.
El País reported that some 700,000 people in Colombia would have permits to carry guns.
“For good citizens who strictly follow the law, I promised guarantees,” said de la Espriella. For illegally armed criminals, the head of state promised “the full weight of the law.”
The measure also leaves existing restrictions intact for expired, suspended, or revoked permits, meaning it applies only to those who had previously obtained valid authorization.
Hours after the announcement the website for INDUMIL, the government-run weapons manufacturer, collapsed, according to El Colombiano. The company also manages firearms permits.
While some right-wing politicians, such as Senator María Fernanda Cabal, shared their support for de la Espriella’s policy, arguing that “the safest countries in the world allow the legal carrying of weapons,” other political leaders, such as former Interior Minister Juan Fernando Cristo, shared their concerns.
“It is a return to the past that will only bring more violence to the streets of towns and cities across the country. The United States is the best example of the failure of these measures,” Cristo wrote on X.
The day after de la Espriella’s announcement, a school shooting occurred in Medellín in which a 17-year-old student was shot, intensifying the gun control debate in the country.
Featured image credit: INDUMIL via X.
This article originally appeared on The Bogotá Post and was republished with permission.
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