Ecuador: President Lasso authorizes civilians the right to own and carry firearms

The President of Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso, announced on Saturday that civilians will be able to own and carry firearms for self-defense. The decision is part of a package of measures to address the growing insecurity in the country. The president also declared a state of emergency with curfew in zone eight, which includes Guayaquil, Durán and Samborondón.

"Ecuadorians. We have a common enemy: crime," said President Lasso in his public address. "The carrying and possession of weapons is authorized [...] and the use of pepper spray is also authorized," he added. The Lasso government also decided to declare war on the possession and production of handmade firearms. Finally, the President also announced a new electronic registry model supervised by the Secretariat of Public Security.

Lasso also announced that private security employees will assist law enforcement agencies in various surveillance and security tasks. These private security employees shall also carry firearms while on duty.

Insecurity crisis

Since 2020, Ecuador has been experiencing a serious internal security crisis due to the activity of numerous criminal gangs, mainly involved in drug trafficking. From 2020 to 2021, the homicide rate per 100,000 inhabitants almost doubled: from 7.08 points it grew to 14.04. Zone eight, where extraordinary measures are being applied, is the most affected by the growing violence in the country. Although the clashes are between gangs, civilians also suffer the consequences.

Last Friday, the Government of Ecuador struck a major blow against organized crime with the arrest of 23 leaders of different criminal gangs. On the same day, the Government of Ecuador also announced a considerable reinforcement of the National Police force, which increased its staff with 400 new uniformed personnel destined exclusively for zone eight.