Africa-Press – Cape verde. xThe Arms Law will be reviewed in the plenary session that marks the start of the new Parliamentary year, this week. The increase in violent crime forces the Government to propose more severe measures in relation to the illegal possession and use of firearms and white weapons.
The proliferation of small arms and light weapons forces the Government to change the gun law, in order to adapt it to the new reality, which consists of a growing number of robberies, gang clashes and homicides that have been taking place in the main urban centers of the country. There are few days when the media does not refer to incidents related to the use of firearms, whether conventional or homemade.
There are currently no concrete data on the number of weapons circulating in the country, but Ogiva Papers, in a study carried out in 2011, stated that the known data on the dissemination of firearms in Cape Verde pointed to the existence of 9,500 weapons. in civilian hands, which is equivalent to a rate of 5.4 firearms per 100,000 inhabitants. A figure that places this country at number 172 in the world ranking in terms of the universe of weapons in private possession (total of 178 countries).
However, these numbers seem to be far from reality, taking into account the number of armed robberies and shootings involving rival gangs, almost every day in the peripheral neighborhoods of the city of Praia.
messed with the law
In order to face the insecurity caused by the high number of weapons in the hands of civilians, the National Assembly scheduled for this first plenary session of the new parliamentary year a proposal by the Government that makes the first amendment to the legal regime relating to weapons and their ammunition, approved by Law no 31/VIII/2013, of 22 May.
According to the explanatory memorandum, the changes that are intended to be introduced are justified by the recurrence of situations of urban violence, associated with the illegal possession and use of firearms and ammunition or cold weapons for the practice of other offences, with the costs social and economic consequences of the resulting violence.
These changes are further justified by the need to strengthen procedures for obtaining licenses and authorization to acquire weapons and to segment gunsmithing activities, in the light of best practices and international recommendations.
With the amendment of the Law, anyone who holds, transports, keeps or establishes a deposit, repairs, assembles, disables, buys, acquires, under any title or by any means, biological weapons , chemical weapons, radioactive weapons or weapons susceptible to nuclear explosion.
It also starts to punish, independently, whoever holds, transports, keeps or establishes a deposit, repairs, assembles, deactivates, buys, acquires, in any capacity or by any means, weapons of war, that is, pistols and revolvers. caliber greater than 9 millimeters or 38 millimeters.
The diploma also intends to resolve doubts regarding the punishment of the illegal possession of bladed weapons or devices or instruments, when they have a defined application and can be used as a weapon of aggression, seeking greater objectivity in the wording of the regulations contained in paragraph g) of article 90.
Trade, possession and use of weapons
The article on the trade in weapons, their parts or parts, ammunition and components will also be amended… The crime of firing a firearm will be aggravated, particularly when directed against magistrates, judicial officials, bodies and personnel of the security forces and services .
Among other measures, articles relating to the renewal of licenses to use and carry weapons, the crime of weapons with aggression, namely when committed by individuals belonging to gangs or against security forces personnel… of weapons according to very specific circumstances, namely in terms of reimbursement.
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