In spite of some countries deciding they cannot trust their own citizens with firearms, other countries seem to be rejecting this policy…at least a bit. And while we recently wrote about Australian efforts to impose new restrictions on their law-abiding gun owners, those efforts are, fortunately, being met with resistance.
At the other end of the spectrum, The Daily Caller reports that Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella is ending a de facto ban on the lawful carrying of firearms for personal protection. While carry permits are neither common nor easily obtained in the South American country, The Daily Caller notes, “Firearms permits are issued by military authorities under the Ministry of Defense and usually require Colombian citizenship, a clean record, a psychophysical certificate, a justified need, and proof of safe handling.”
Colombia also has many additional restrictions on firearms, including registration and limits on the types of firearms that may be lawfully owned. There are also restrictions on calibers allowed and magazine capacities.
That said, if you were able to acquire a carry permit in Colombia, it had been rendered virtually useless since December 2015. That was when then-President Juan Manuel Santos imposed what was said to be a temporary suspension of lawful civilian carry, supposedly intended to help with national security over the holidays. But Santos extended the suspension annually, as did the two presidents who followed him.
There was the possibility one could get special authorization to carry in public if you sought permission—again, even after you had already obtained a carry permit—but it is unclear how often, if ever, such special permission was granted.
When announcing the restoration of the pre-2015 carry standards, President Abelardo de la Espriella, noted it is “not right that criminals are armed to the teeth while decent people can't defend themselves.” It is estimated around 700,000 carry permits are held by Colombians.
Meanwhile, Ammoland reports that Ukraine is also looking into allowing law-abiding citizens to carry firearms for self-defense.
In recent years, we’ve seen a number of European nations that seem to be coming around to the idea of extending at least some trust to their citizens when it comes to firearms. Our reporting has covered positive developments in the Czech Republic, Finland, and Poland, although other European countries like England and France continue to be major problems for gun owners and those who would like to own guns.
But according to Ammoland, an administrative working group in Ukraine was established in June of this year “to consider the creation of a national law to allow citizens to own and carry handguns for self-defense.” They also report legislation—Bill No. 57708, “On the Right to Civilian Firearms”—that originally passed first reading in 2022 remains alive and was placed on the Verkhovna Rada’s (Ukraine’s parliament) legislative agenda.
Also in Ammoland’s report was mention of “a petition submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine” that “outlines reasons for the Ukrainian government to solidify requirements to purchase, possess, and carry handguns in Ukraine.”
While there is a carry permit process in Ukraine, it is discretionary and, some say, “riddled with corruption.” The petition outlines reforms that would try to implement a more “shall issue” type of system; although still with far more requirements than what Americans would consider a good “shall issue” law.
Even with more stringent qualifications to which applicants must adhere than the average U.S. gun owner could abide, like registration of firearms and submitting to medical and psychiatric assessments, this proposed system would still be an improvement over the existing one.
The petition points out that several other European nations have moved in a similar direction on permitting carrying firearms for self-defense, including the aforementioned Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, and Slovakia.
Even though these steps forward for gun owners in other countries may seem relatively insignificant when compared to the rights most American gun owners enjoy, it is still refreshing to be able to report on progress outside of our borders. More than half of our states don’t even require a permit before a law-abiding citizen can exercise his or her right to carry a firearm outside the home for self-defense, but every little movement in the right direction should be recognized.
We applaud all progress when it comes to removing burdens from law-abiding gun owners, and we will keep watching for (hopefully) more progress to report, no matter where it happens around the globe.
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