Colombian President Abelardo De La Espriella has made good on a campaign promise by signing a decree that lifts the nationwide suspension on permits allowing citizens to carry firearms outside their homes. Until now, someone could be authorized to keep a gun at home but was barred from taking it out in public, even with a valid permit.
Decree 1368, issued September 8, 2026, does away with the special clearance citizens previously needed to carry a weapon beyond their residence. However, the president stressed this is not a green light for unrestricted, everyday carrying of firearms. The decree specifies that only people with a currently valid permit—one that hasn’t been suspended, canceled, revoked, expired, or blocked by a legal or judicial order—can benefit from the change. The permit will still apply strictly to the specific registered weapon and under the conditions set by military authorities, who oversee firearm licensing in Colombia.
Writing on social media platform X, De La Espriella argued that years of restrictions had disarmed law-abiding citizens while criminals continued arming themselves illegally. He said the decree ends a blanket suspension that had effectively turned prohibition into the default rule, while keeping strict controls, requirements, and permit oversight in place. Under the new rules, permit holders no longer need to request additional authorization to carry their registered weapon.
For more details on the decree’s legal justification and its four key provisions, read the full report at El Tiempo.
Source: Las 5 claves del decreto que tumba la suspensión de permisos para portar armas en Colombia (eltiempo.com). English version produced with AI assistance.
Image: Patrick Feller, BY 2.0 (via Openverse).