Milei lowers the minimum age for the free carrying of weapons in Argentina from 21 to 18 years

A decree by Argentine President Javier Milei reduced the minimum age for the use, possession and carrying of firearms from 21 to 18 years, a measure in line with his campaign promise to facilitate access to them at a time when insecurity scale among the main concerns of his compatriots.

The resolution was published on Tuesday in the official bulletin and maintains that the modification aims to “harmonize” the regulations on the general conditions required of legitimate users of weapons, sanctioned in 1975, with the new Civil and Commercial Code, the which establishes that the age of majority is reached at 18 years of age.

Like other far-right leaders, Milei had spoken out in favor of the free carrying of firearms during the campaign and even suggested that its sale in supermarkets should be authorized, as is the case in the United States.

The criticism he received then, added to the rejection of that proposal in the polls, led Milei to modify his speech and clarify that as president he would only worry about de-bureaucratizing the procedures for registering firearms.

The decree was published just one year after assuming power and in line with growing complaints about insecurity, especially in the large urban centers of the South American country.

According to data from the Ministry of Security, in 2023, 4,815 robberies with injuries and/or deaths were reported, of which more than half occurred in the province of Buenos Aires.

When it comes to attempted robberies, last year there were a record number of 32,503 cases throughout the country.

“It is not a necessary modification, it falls within the order of provocation,” said the former Minister of Security of the last center-left government Sabina Frederic, in radio statements. “You expand the universe of people who can legally own firearms. What should happen is that fewer and fewer people have weapons.”

The former official also warned about “an explosive combination” of the decree with a bill that proposes laundering of illegally acquired firearms and that allows the possessor to have that weapon for one year without legal procedure.

According to data from experts, it is estimated that there are four million weapons in the illegal circulation in the country, which has 45 million inhabitants.

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