Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella has lifted the country’s general suspension on permits to carry firearms, restoring the ability of eligible gun owners with valid permits to carry their registered weapons outside their homes.
The president signed Decree 1368 on Tuesday, September 8, fulfilling a campaign pledge to take a tougher approach to crime and reverse restrictions that had effectively limited the public carrying of legally owned firearms for about a decade. Colombia’s presidency confirmed that the decree restores the validity of individual firearm-carry permits that remain current and have not been individually suspended, revoked, cancelled or otherwise prohibited.
The measure does not, however, amount to unrestricted gun ownership or a general licence for Colombians to carry weapons in public.
Under the decree, only people who already possess a valid permit issued by the competent military authority can carry firearms. The permit must specifically cover the weapon being carried, while existing legal requirements, restrictions and controls remain in force under Colombia’s firearms legislation.
De la Espriella defended the decision as part of his broader security strategy, arguing that restrictions on lawful gun owners had created an imbalance between citizens who obey the law and criminal groups that continue to acquire weapons illegally.
“It is not right that criminals are armed to the teeth while decent people can’t defend themselves,” the president said while announcing the measure.
He stressed that the decree should not be interpreted as allowing indiscriminate possession or carrying of firearms. Instead, he said, it ends the blanket suspension while retaining the individual licensing system and oversight of firearm possession.
The president also cited figures from Colombian security agencies to justify his approach. According to figures he released, security forces seized 15,700 firearms between January 1 and September 3, 2026, with 14,179 allegedly linked to criminal activity. The weapons were reportedly associated with armed groups including FARC dissidents, the Clan del Golfo and the National Liberation Army.
The policy forms part of De la Espriella’s broader hardline security agenda. Since taking office in August, the right-wing president has adopted an aggressive posture towards Colombia’s armed groups and criminal organisations, including pledging an intensified campaign against terrorism and illegal armed groups. Recent attacks attributed to the ELN have further underscored the security challenges confronting his administration.
The lifting of the suspension has therefore become both a security policy and a political statement from the new administration. Supporters are likely to view it as restoring the ability of law-abiding citizens to protect themselves, while the continuing requirement for individual permits means Colombia has not adopted a system of unrestricted public gun carrying.
The government has emphasised that expired, cancelled, revoked or individually suspended permits remain invalid, and firearms subject to judicial or administrative restrictions cannot be carried.
The move now puts greater responsibility on Colombia’s authorities to enforce the existing licensing system while determining whether increased access to legally carried firearms will improve citizens’ ability to defend themselves without creating additional risks to public safety.
