Costa Rican legislators are urgently working to address the alarming proliferation of heavy firearms now circulating through criminal elements across the country. Members of the influential Security and Drug Trafficking Commission characterize current regulations around arms possession and use as dangerously weak.
Legislators Gloria Navas and Gilberth Jiménez co-sponsored comprehensive reform bill 23.095 intended to tighten controls and sentencing around prohibited firearms. The initiative follows research indicating over 50% of weapons in the nation have illegally entered circulation without oversight or documentation.
“After a thorough regulatory review, we concluded Costa Rica’s framework around firearms, components and ammunition lacks adequate rigor,” the deputies indicated in the legislation. “Preventing and reducing firearms violence and its deadly impacts hinges on reining in this unlawful market.”
Figures suggest nearly 493,000 weapons now populate the Central American country, over half without purchase or import paperwork. The proposed overhaul specifically takes aim at arms frequently utilized by organized crime and trafficking groups terrorizing communities.
The reform package would stiffen sanctions across the board while creating new penalties for possession of illegal weapons. Owning unlicensed guns allowed under existing law could carry one to three year prison terms if passed. Intensified restrictions for prohibited hardware deemed “weapons of war” are also under consideration.
The bid follows an unsuccessful executive effort in April hoping to eclipse the current statute passed in 1994. Though the previous attempt fizzled, backers believe escalating public security threats will galvanize lawmakers around more sweeping change.
Experts cite shifting migration dynamics flooding Central America with firearms once confined to Colombia and Mexico. But contraband smuggling, corruption and home burglaries also contribute to street proliferation.
With homicides spiking this year, the initiative channels urgent calls from business leaders, tourism officials and everyday Ticos to get tough on crime threatening Costa Rica’s stability and reputation. Backers plan to push hard for speedy consideration while spotlighting the human impacts from brazen shootouts and executions.
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Ileana Fernandez
