Could the carrying of weapons for civilian use be declared unconstitutional in Ecuador?

Political parties and jurists seek the declaration of unconstitutionality of decree 707 promoted by President Guillermo Lasso, which authorizes carrying weapons for civilian personal defense.

Several legal appeals were filed before the Constitutional Court against the questioned measure to combat security in the country.

Executive Decree 707, signed on April 1 by President Guillermo Lasso, approved to combat insecurity, continues to be rejected by many Ecuadorians.

The Ecuadorian Socialist Party (PSE) filed a public action of unconstitutionality of the decree before the Constitutional Court.

The same was done by a group of jurists who questioned the effectiveness of Lasso’s measure.

The decree authorizes Ecuadorians to possess and carry weapons for personal defense.

In addition, it allows private security guards to collaborate with the police during the hours of their services.

Because of this regulation, the Ecuadorian Socialist Party (PSE), together with political and social activists, filed an appeal “with the objective that the Constitutional Court dictate preventive measures that suspend the execution of the Executive Decree and, subsequently, sentence its unconstitutionality”, as revealed in a statement via Twitter.

The State has exclusive and privative competence to guarantee security and public order, so “under no pretext could this power be delegated to citizens”, said the elected councilor for the Metropolitan District of Quito on behalf of the PSE, Andrés Campaña.

He is one of the presenters of the appeal along with the President of the Party, Gustavo Valleja, and the Doctorate in Law, Elsa Guerra.

The leader remarked that Ecuador has signed international instruments against the proliferation of firearms and illicit trafficking.

“Our country assumed an international commitment that, with these measures, it is not complying with,” Campaña assured.

For her part, Guerra said she was concerned that the easy access to weapons leaves Ecuadorians in a situation of total vulnerability, especially women.

The lawyer said she fears the decree could impact the increase in femicides.

For the councilman, the response to crime should be comprehensive: it would require social investment to reduce inequalities, the planning of a security plan, political will and budget, and working with local governments and neighborhood security committees.

In addition, it would require the implementation of regulatory reforms such as that of the Organic Code of Citizen Security and Public Order Entities, which would allow special security forces access to lethal weapons.

In the same line, almost simultaneously, a group of Ecuadorian jurists presented an action of unconstitutionality of the decree after considering that, far from its initial objective, it would contribute to deepening the violence in the streets.

According to Expreso, jurists Stalin Raza, Pedro Jerves, Miguel Ángel Angulo, Daniel Yela, Estefanía Garzón, and Paúl Ocaña, among others, seek to demonstrate that the government is violating rights and, instead of taking charge of providing security for Ecuadorians, it is passing this responsibility on to the population.

The petitioners expect the police to receive more training instead of granting citizens the right to carry arms. “The police themselves and members of the Armed Forces are not clear on when and how to act under the structure of legitimate self-defense,” Jerves said.

Like the PSE’s appeal, the jurists hope granting permits to carry arms will be suspended until the Court rules.

With information from Sputnik