Colombian president abelardo de la espriella announced tuesday that he signed a decree lifting the general suspension on permits to carry firearms:biding citizens while maintaining strict controls. 'I signed the decree that lifts the general suspension of permits to carry firearms in Colombia,' De La Espriella said in a post on the US social media company X. 'For years, law-abiding citizens were restricted while criminals continued arming themselves illegally to the teeth. That has to change,' he added.

According to Anadolu Agency, De La Espriella said figures showed where the country's 'true threat' lies, citing weapons seized by security forces between Jan. 1 and Sept. 3. Authorities seized 15,700 firearms during that period, of which 14,179 were linked to the commission of crimes, according to the president. He said 980 of the seized weapons were linked to dissident armed groups, 551 to the Clan del Golfo and 339 to the National Liberation Army (ELN). Among the weapons associated with dissident groups were 380 rifles and 65 60-millimeter mortars, he said.

'This does NOT mean indiscriminate carrying,' he said, adding that strict controls, requirements and permits from the competent authorities would remain in place. 'What ends is the general suspension that turned prohibition into the rule,' said De La Espriella. He said his government would focus on removing illegal weapons from criminal groups while guaranteeing rights to citizens who comply with 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 added that the security policy could not continue to be based on disarming law-abiding citizens while leaving criminals armed. The decision marks a significant shift in Colombia's firearms policy under De La Espriella, while maintaining the existing legal requirements governing the carrying of weapons.