President Carlos Alvarado and the Minister of Public Security, Michael Soto, subscribed this week the changes to the Firearms and Explosives Law, which gives authorities more tools for gun control.

“We are demonstrating with tools like these, that Costa Rica is capable of advancing to become a safer country with less impunity”, stated President Alvarado.

The project was approved by the Legislative Assembly back on April 9 after being discussed under file number 20,508.

Changes include longer sentences for the illegal possession of firearms; the jail sentence was increased from 4 to 8 years for whom acquires, sells, transports, stores, exports, hides, manufactures, builds, transforms, brings to national territory , or uses firearms prohibited by the law, its parts and components; while for those who illegally own a permitted gun that has not been registered , jail sentence increases from 3 to 5 years.

The law also establishes the obligation of the seller of a firearm to inform the Department of Firearms and Explosives of the Ministry of Public Security of the sell and provide the respective paperwork.

Economic fines are created for those who do not report the loss of theft of a firearm in a term of 5 days.

Private security companies are obligated to turn in their firearms to Public Security in the even the company ceases operations, and pawn stores cannot receive firearms, explosives or ammunition or risk being subject to a fine equivalent to 5 base salaries.

“One of our main objectives has been to take illegal firearms out of the streets, many of these are used to commit different crimes”, commented Minister Soto.