HomeNewsBriefBolivia Enacts First Gun Control Law
BRIEF

Bolivia Enacts First Gun Control Law

ARMS TRAFFICKING / 19 SEP 2013 BY CHARLES PARKINSON EN

Bolivia has enacted its first firearms legislation, which may be unlikely to have a dramatic impact on the country's already low murder rate, but will at least provide the state with the tools to tackle arms trafficking.

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.

InSight Crime Analysis

While gun homicides statistics are not available for Bolivia, according to the Organization of American States (OAS) 2012 Report on Citizen Security in the Americas, the country has the fourth lowest intentional homicide rate in mainland Latin America -- behind Chile, Argentina and Uruguay -- based on 2010 figures. Nevertheless, as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) noted in its 2011 Global Study on Homicide, the homicide rate in Bolivia has risen in recent years -- from 6.5 per 100,000 in 2005 to 8.9 in 2010, while the most recent figures released by the government recording a rate of 11 per 100,000.

Although the introduction of a strict new gun law places Bolivia at the forefront of firearms legislation -- a hot topic in the region's two most violent countries, Honduras and Venezuela -- research suggests that such legislation alone does not guarantee a reduction in gun violence.

However, it will at least introduce a legal framework for tackling arms trafficking, which in the past has been linked to both Bolivian security forces and foreign groups. In this area, it is particularly notable that the new law establishes such tough penalties for arms trafficking carried out by security forces, which have a reputation for endemic corruption and have been linked to organized crime.

share icon icon icon

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

What are your thoughts? Click here to send InSight Crime your comments.

We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article.

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

Related Content

BOLIVIA / 21 FEB 2023

Passenger buses are the latest means of smuggling contraband goods in Bolivia, where the impact of COVID-19 has seen smuggling…

BOLIVIA / 3 MAR 2023

As the CITES treaty hits 50, we take a look at its successes, failures, and future challenges in reducing the…

ARGENTINA / 11 AUG 2021

Authorities in Argentina are seizing bumper crops of coca leaves coming over the country's northwest border with Bolivia, causing the…

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

All Eyes on Ecuador

2 JUN 2023

Our coverage of organized crime in Ecuador continues to be a valuable resource for international and local news outlets. Internationally, Reuters cited our 2022 Homicide Round-Up,…

WORK WITH US

Open Position: Social Media and Engagement Strategist

27 MAY 2023

InSight Crime is looking for a Social Media and Engagement Strategist who will be focused on maintaining and improving InSight Crime’s reputation and interaction with its audiences through publishing activities…

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Receives Great Reception

27 MAY 2023

Several of InSight Crime’s most recent articles about Venezuela have been well received by regional media. Our article on Venezuela’s colectivos expanding beyond their political role to control access to…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime's Chemical Precursor Report Continues

19 MAY 2023

For the second week in a row, our investigation into the flow of precursor chemicals for the manufacture of synthetic drugs in Mexico has been cited by multiple regional media…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime’s Chemical Precursor Report Widely Cited

THE ORGANIZATION / 12 MAY 2023

We are proud to see that our recently published investigation into the supply chain of chemical precursors feeding Mexico’s synthetic drug production has been warmly received.