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Bolivia Enacts First Gun Control Law

InSight Crime (Bogota) / El Diario

19 September 2013

By Charles Parkinson

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Bolivia has enacted its first firearms legislation…

Laying out strict limitations on who can own a weapon, the Firearms, Munitions, Explosives and Other Materials Control Law was passed on September 18 - four years after it was first proposed in 2009 - reported El Diario.

The legislation sets a six month period for current gun owners to register or turn in weapons before becoming subject to a maximum six year sentence for ownership or five year sentence for carrying an illegal weapon, with longer sentences for military-grade weapons, reported Los Tiempos. It also establishes a maximum 30 year sentence for any member of the security forces caught trafficking arms.

As well as regulating arms, the law allows for the production of "any kind" of weapon at the request of the armed forces or police, pending approval from the interior and defense ministries, reported La Razon.

Although there are no official figures on civilian gun ownership, international firearms observatory Gun Policy reports 260,000 civilian firearms are in circulation, legal and illegal…

ID: N308

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