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President Abelardo de la Espriella fulfilled a campaign pledge on September 8 by signing Decree 1368 which lifts the general suspension of permits to carry firearms that had been in place since the administration of Juan Manuel Santos according to reports from El Tiempo and Bloomberg. The measure restores the effectiveness of individual permits issued under the framework of Decree 2535 of 1993 without altering eligibility requirements or introducing indiscriminate access the president stated in an official announcement. El Espectador reported that the suspension originating in 2014 and renewed each year even through the terms of Ivan Duque and Gustavo Petro had required an additional special authorization even for those already holding valid permits. De la Espriella who won election in June on a platform of cracking down on crime emphasized that the change targets the imbalance where law-abiding citizens faced restrictions while criminals armed themselves illegally.
The decree applies to an estimated 700 000 Colombians who already possess up-to-date permits for specific registered firearms as cited by El Pais and carried in the BBC report. Permit holders must still meet longstanding criteria including being at least 25 years old having no criminal record and demonstrating physical and mental fitness for handling weapons according to explanations provided by legal experts to Infobae. Military authorities retain full control over issuance renewal suspension or revocation of permits and the policy does not expand the pool of new applicants or override the state’s constitutional monopoly on arms. A study published in the Bulletin of the World Health Organization found that earlier gun-carrying restrictions had reduced gun-related mortality by 22.3 percent in Bogota and Medellin with the effect most pronounced in public spaces and among males.
De la Espriella defended the step by pointing to security force operations that seized 15 700 firearms between January 1 and September 3 of this year with 14 179 linked to criminal activity according to figures he released and corroborated by Infobae and El Espectador. Of those weapons 980 were traced to groups including Farc dissidents the Gulf Clan and the ELN the president noted highlighting that enforcement against illegal arms remains a priority. Bloomberg reported that the president framed the decree as correcting a decade-long policy that penalized compliant citizens while doing little to disarm those operating outside the law. The announcement has sparked debate across political circles and among the public with analysts stressing that it returns to the pre-suspension regulatory model without weakening oversight mechanisms.
Legal specialists including Gabriel Cifuentes Ghidini told Infobae that the change simply eliminates the annual renewal of the blanket suspension and allows competent authorities to process permits as originally envisioned in 1993 legislation. Those seeking or renewing permits must still submit identity documents judicial certificates and medical evaluations confirming aptitude for firearm use the expert added. El Espectador noted that the decree explicitly revokes prior suspension orders such as Decree 1482 of 2025 ensuring that only unencumbered valid permits can be exercised and only for the specific weapon registered to them. Officials have reiterated that any violation or misuse will trigger full legal consequences including revocation and prosecution.
The policy arrives as Colombia continues to grapple with armed groups and illicit weapons flows that have persisted despite earlier carry restrictions according to data compiled by multiple Colombian outlets. President de la Espriella stated “During years the law-abiding citizen was restricted while criminals kept arming themselves illegally to the teeth. That has to change” in the announcement carried across platforms including X. He added in the same statement “Let it be clear this does NOT mean indiscriminate carry. Strict controls requirements and permits from the competent authorities remain in place. What ends is the general suspension that turned prohibition into the rule. To the good citizen who strictly complies with the law guarantees within the law. To the illegally armed criminal all the weight of the law and all the legitimate force of the State.” Government spokesmen have confirmed that the measure took immediate effect upon signing and that no new rights are created beyond restoring prior permit functionality.
