The changes in the regulation regarding the sale of ammunitions in Costa Rica went into effect today, with the publication of the same in the official newspaper La Gaceta.
According to this regulation those businesses authorized to sell ammunition have the obligation of registering for all sales the name and identification number of the physical (of legal age) or legal corporation acquiring them.

Ammunition can only be sold to people who have firearms duly registered with the Department of Control of Firearms and Explosives, and therefore the buyer must present the registration of the firearm or the certification issued by this Department.

Also, all those interested in renewing their license to carry a gun must physically present the firearm in question to the Department of Control of Firearms and Explosives for the renewal.

“It is necessary that the State regulates the commercialization of ammunitions and that these are not sold without control, specially to minors. Through our institutional controls executed by the Department of Control of Firearms and Explosives we have confirmed that some gun shops sell the ammunitions to people who do not have registered guns or that buy calibers that do not correspond to the firearm they legally carry”, commented Vice-Minister of Security Eduardo Solano.

“In 2017 the import of ammunition reached 13 million approximately, which reaffirms the Government’s duty of regulating the traffic and commercialization since this could also have a positive impact over the homicide rate”, concluded Solano.