Panama extends ban on the importation of rifle-type firearms

Panama’s Ministry of Security has again banned the importation of rifle-type firearms with a semi-automatic firing mechanism.

The measure, established in September 2021, was extended for one year and sought to guarantee tranquility, security, and public order, according to the Minister of Security, Juan Pino.

As a result of the destruction of weapons from criminal proceedings, Pino assured that the effectiveness of this measure was demonstrated in 2021 when the presence of these weapons in criminal acts was reduced.

“Crime is being blamed on the possession of licit weapons, and they are two different issues,” claimed Isaac Brawerman, president of the Association of Gun Owners of Panama, who recalled that there are three claims of illegality against last year’s measure, which have not yet been resolved in the Supreme Court of Justice.

“The Ministry has not been able to demonstrate the traceability of legally imported weapons getting lost and reaching the gangs. They are putting us all in the same bag saying that the legal owners are now the cause of criminality; that can’t be,” complained Brawerman.

Some 40 arms importing companies are operating in the country, and only four have requested to import rifles. According to the association, the measure affects the victims and the sport shooting athletes.

The risk is that the measure will be extended at the discretion of the Ministry of Security, explained Brawerman, who pointed out that in Honduras, a similar restrictive measure was applied to the possession of firearms and had no significant effect.

“What worries us most as an association of gun owners is the focus of corruption that can be generated as a result of these bans, because today they start with semi-automatic rifles, so what happens if tomorrow the minister says, you know I regretted it, I want to stop importing everything, because then it would seriously affect all the people who have invested in these types of companies, salaries, jobs, and taxes paid,” Brawerman told Bloomberg Línea.

In Panama, there are an estimated 180,000 registered guns.

From 2010 to 2020, the total importation of firearms was suspended entirely, and in the organization’s opinion, crimes have not decreased and what has increased is the perception of insecurity and arms smuggling.

Nonetheless, according to an analysis by Insight Crime, Panama has been identified as an important hub for regional arms trafficking according to a 2012 threat assessment by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

“Its geographic location makes the country a natural destination for weapons coming from the United States, where gun laws are lax, and for those traveling through Central America. From Panama, weapons are taken out of the country, often south to Colombia,” details the report, which backs up the authorities’ restrictions.

This month, a Security Ministry report reported that 1,872 firearms had been seized this year, and 529 people have been detained for carrying them. Eighty-five percent of the homicides registered this year were committed with a firearm.

With information from Bloomberg