Firearms regulation in Venezuela

During the dictatorship of Juan Vicente Gómez, in 1914, a disarmament decree in the Federal District was enacted, and later in 1919, a disarmament law was decreed, ordering every weapon owner to give them away to the authorities; the only exceptions were machetes and hunting shotguns. The official justification offered was to diminish crime, but the law was ultimately used to disarm the population and to prevent possible uprisings.[1] Historian Manuel Caballero argued that while Gómez's final intention was to prevent his enemies from obtaining weapons, the law contributed to avoid civil wars in Venezuela for the next century.[2]

In 2012 Venezuela banned private sales of firearms and ammunition hoping to lower crime rates. The army, police, and certain groups trusted by the government (colectivos) are exempted from the ban and can buy firearms from state-owned manufacturers.[3] In 2013 Venezuela stopped issuing new firearm licenses,[4] and in 2017 government banned carrying firearms in public places.[5] The government declared that more than 15,000 firearms were confiscated in 2018. Sixty disarmament centres were created in the country and the penalty for illegal firearm possession was raised to twenty years imprisonment.[6]

According to the government, the only people who should carry guns are government agents. Néstor Reverol, minister for interior relations and justice, claimed that strict gun control led to a reduction in crime and kidnappings in Venezuela.[7]

• Overview of gun laws by nation