Ecuador is experiencing a wave of violence led by at least six criminal gangs linked to drug trafficking and whose actions left 4,603 murdered in the year 2022 and at least three states of emergency. Once again, President Guillermo Lasso has resorted to this resource, but this time with a differential: the carrying of weapons by civilians for personal defense is authorized.
(Read also: Ecuadorians may carry firearms to defend themselves against crime)
The measure occurs in a climate of political instability and a trial at the door in which the president is accused of negligence in the face of corruption in the public administration. His fate depends on an opposition National Assembly influenced by former President Rafael Correa.
On Saturday night, the president announced the state of emergency effective yesterday and which lasts for 60 days in Guayaquil, Durán and Samborondón, and in the provinces of Santa Elena and Los Ríos due to a “serious internal commotion,” Lasso said. . The measure allows the mobilization of soldiers in the streets.
(Also read: The fate of Guillermo Lasso in Ecuador: what happens if he goes to impeachment?)
From 1 to 5 in the morning there will be a curfew in the mentioned areas in addition to a ban on meetings. “We have a common enemy: delinquency, drug trafficking and organized crime,” Lasso said in the television broadcast in which he made the announcement.
#Urgent
The main security measures decreed by Guillermo Lasso for the fight against crime:
– Authorizes the possession and carrying of weapons
– Use of pepper spray
– The manufacture and possession of handcrafted weapons is prohibited
– The Guards of… pic.twitter.com/MGvZI36vVI— Minute & Half (@MinMedio) April 2, 2023
According to local media, so far in 2023 some 1,356 violent deaths have been recorded. It is surprising that in the same period last year, 815 murders were recorded. This represents an increase of 66.4%.
To make carrying firearms legal, Lasso modified the decree that authorizes “the possession and carrying of weapons for civilian use for personal defense,” as well as the use of pepper spray. The president also pointed out that the manufacture, registration and possession of artisanal weapons was prohibited.
In order to legalize the carrying of weapons, Executive Decree 707 was issued, establishing the amendments to the Regulations to the Law on Weapons, Ammunition and Explosives issued by Executive Decree 169, published on March 27, 1997 and amended on June 15, 2015. .
(Read also: The ‘Bukele effect’: the controversial state of exception in force in Honduras)
The biggest fear today is feeling insecure. That is why we are announcing three immediate measures in this #CrusadeForYourSafety to combat the greatest enemy we have, which is delinquency, drug trafficking and organized crime. https://t.co/I7Upe4tWDf
— Guillermo Lasso (@LassoGuillermo) April 2, 2023
Citizens, according to the regulations, must be at least 25 years old, have a psychological test certificate issued by the Ministry of Public Health, a certificate of skill in handling and use of weapons issued by the Ministry of National Defense, not having been sentenced with an enforceable sentence for the commission of a crime, no record of violence against women or members of the family nucleus and a certificate of passing the toxicological test.
Private security guards are also authorized to support the police around their work stations by carrying their regulation weapons.
The announcement generated comments for and against, such as that of former President Rafael Correa. “According to a soulless inept like Lasso, war is about citizen-criminals and not State-crime… That’s why the carrying of arms! The solution is that, with the exception of the public force, no one carries weapons, starting with criminals, and that is possible. We already did it.”
According to a soulless inept like Lasso, “war” is about citizen-criminals and not STATE-crime…hence the bearing of arms!
The solution is that, with the exception of the public force, NO ONE carries arms, starting with criminals, and that is possible. We already did. https://t.co/q2QHSay3cD— Rafael Correa (@MashiRafael) April 2, 2023
In another tweet, he wrote: “Yes, some criminals will die, but you’ll see how many innocents…”
For his part, the deputy of the Christian Social Party Esteban Torres Cobo, considered the measure as positive. “The possession and carrying of weapons for civilians, an unfulfilled campaign promise, comes two years late, but it is positive and necessary. We are finally proved right after three years in the fight,” he said on Twitter.
Ecuador joins El Salvador and Honduras in the application of the state of emergency as a measure to curb crime as their leaders have considered.
ANA MARIA RODRIGUEZ BRAZON
INTERNATIONAL WRITING
More news in EL TIEMPO
Presidential Twitter: How Effective Has Petro’s Foreign Policy Been?
Latin America becomes a ‘fight club’
#Keys #controversial #Lasso #measure #legalizes #carrying #weapons #Ecuador