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De la Espriella Ends Firearm Permit Suspension With Decree

9/9/2026

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Summary

President Ends Suspension

President Abelardo de la Espriella signed a decree ending the suspension of firearm-carrying permits.
He said the change protects law-abiding citizens while strict permit requirements remain.
Security forces seized 15,700 firearms from Jan 1 to Sep 3, 14,179 of which were used in crimes.
Among seized weapons, 980 were linked to dissident groups, including 551 Gulf Clan and 339 ELN arms.

Summary

Santos Repeals

Decree 1368 repeals Decrees 2362 (2018) and 1482 (2025), ending prior suspension measures.
President Juan Manuel Santos’s Decree 2515 on Dec 23, 2015, limited civilian carry, initiating the suspension.
Article 41 of Decree Law 2535 (1993), amended by Law 1119 (2006), grants the military authority to suspend permits.
Colombia’s Constitutional Court affirmed the suspension power in a 2010 ruling as consistent with the constitutional monopoly on arms.

History

Historical Context

The 1991 Constitution, promulgated on July 7 1991 after a December 1990 referendum that earned almost 98% support, replaced the 1886 charter and centralized state authority. It emerged from a constituent assembly that integrated demobilized M-19 fighters and granted political representation to indigenous and Afro-Colombian groups. This legacy of strong central control shapes today’s debates over civilian firearm licensing.

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President Ends Suspension

President Abelardo de la Espriella signed a decree ending the suspension of firearm-carrying permits.
He said the change protects law-abiding citizens while strict permit requirements remain.
Security forces seized 15,700 firearms from Jan 1 to Sep 3, 14,179 of which were used in crimes.
Among seized weapons, 980 were linked to dissident groups, including 551 Gulf Clan and 339 ELN arms.

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