Pézard, Stéphanie and Anne-Kathrin Glatz. 2010 ‘Prohibitive Price of Firearms.’ Arms in and Around Mauritania: National and Regional Security Implications; Occasional Paper No. 24, p. 42. Geneva: Small Arms Survey, the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva. 1 June

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Prohibitive Price of Firearms

The decree prohibits merchants from importing or stockpiling firearms unless these have been ordered by someone in possession of an import licence (art. 17).¹ Ammunition may be imported by merchants who are 'authorized by ministerial decree to keep a stock of ammunition and offer sufficient guarantees,'² but the guarantees in question are not described in detail.

Civilians can therefore only obtain a firearm if they are in possession of an import licence authorizing the purchase of a firearm abroad,³ if they are able to 'borrow' a weapon from the state,^{4 5} or if they acquire one on the black market. … a forged authorization to carry firearms costs 50,000 ouguiyas (US$192), which is a prohibitive price in a country where the average per capita income is US$400.

In all likelihood, the difficulty in obtaining weapons, coupled with their high price, has prevented them from being acquired by a large number of civilians. Moreover, since 2006, civilians have not been allowed to own weapons of war. Hunting weapons, on the other hand, may still be authorized.^{6 7}

Sources cited:

Barrouhi, Abdelaziz, 2005, "'Benediction ou Malediction?' ('Blessing or Curse?')", Jeune Afrique. 12 June.

Fichter, Joelle, 2007, "Bref essai socio-anthropologique sur l'histoire, l'organisation sociale et l'economie de la Mauritanie (Brief Socio-anthropological Study of the History, Social Organization, and Economy of Mauritania)". Unpublished background paper. Geneva: Small Arms Survey.

Islamic Republic of Mauritania, 1960, "Decree No. 60.072 of 20 April 1960 Regulating Firearms and Ammunition in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania".

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