Milei authorises sale of semi-automatic and assault weapons to civilians

President Javier Milei has authorised the purchase of semi-automatic and assault-style weapons by civilians via decree, reversing a three decade ban in place since 1995.

The measure – signed by Milei, Cabinet Chief Guillermo Francos and Security Minister Patricia Bullrich – was published Wednesday in the Official Gazette. 

It allows so-called “legitimate users of conditional civilian weapons” to “acquire and possess semi-automatic weapons with detachable magazines, similar to assault rifles, carbines or submachine guns derived from military-use firearms, in calibres above .22.”

Until now, the purchase and ownership of these categories of weapons were reserved for the military.

The “legitimate users” must “prove sporting use and other objective conditions," continues the decree.

As a Congress member, Milei defended the free carry of weapons but while campaigning for president in 2023 said he had no plans to completely deregulate gun ownership.

His government has, however, substantially relaxed the country's gun laws. 

It is the latest in a string of reforms aimed at loosening gun regulations in Argentina, where, according to figures cited by the CELS (Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales) rights group, “in 2022, one in every two intentional homicides was committed with a firearm.”

Back in May, Milei’s government introduced a fast-track process called “tenencia express” to streamline the issuing of gun permits. 

The system now operates exclusively online through the National Agency for Controlled Materials (Agencia Nacional de Materiales Controlados, or ANMAC), applying to both civilians and members of the Armed Forces, police or security forces buying weapons from licensed dealers. 

"The government is being reckless and irresponsible on this issue, minimising the consequences of these decisions and appearing to do so because of a fanatical and dogmatic stance on the use of firearms," lawyer Julián Alfie, the director of the Instituto de Estudios Comparados en Ciencias Penales y Sociales (INECIP) and member of the Red Argentina para el Desarme told the AFP news agency.

He said the relaxation of the rules increased the risk that dangerous weapons are “used for purposes other than those established by law."

The ANMAC control agency is overwhelmed by its taskload, noted Alfie. "It is a doomed agency with fewer than 10 inspectors to control the entire national territory," he said.

Although the regulations restrict their use for sport shooting, "given the inability to exercise effective controls, we are in fact opening up the risk of these weapons being diverted to the illegal market or organised crime groups," he warned

In late 2024, Milei signed a decree lowering the minimum age for gun ownership from 21 to 18.

Bullrich has long supported the right to carry firearms. “At 16, you have the right to vote. At 18, you can go to war, start a family or join a security force. And, incredibly, at any age you can choose to change your sex, which will mark you for life. So why shouldn’t you be able to own a weapon at 18?” she said in a previous interview.

Argentina, home to around 45 million people, has close to one million registered gun owners. Most of them are men. More than 65 percent of licences have expired, according to a May report by fact-checking site Chequeado.

– TIMES/AFP