According to the international organization GunPolicy.org, the civilian population in the Dominican Republic owns at least 878 rifles, 55,360 shotguns and 165,315 pistols with around 300,000 illegal weapons in circulation. These figures put the country in 85th place out of 178 in terms of the number of firearms. GunPolicy also reports that firearms were used in the deaths of 20,445 people in the country over the last 15 years.
GunPolicy.org adds that the private possession of automatic assault weapons is prohibited and people are only legally allowed to own pistols and revolvers if they have a license. The penalty for illegal possession is two years in jail plus a fine.
Psychologists Mayra Brea de Cabral and Edylberto Cabral state that the problem of firearms among the civil population only started increasing after 2000 when 30,516 legal weapons were registered. By 2011, however, that number had increased to 206,707.
GunPolicy states that a total 1,561 arms were imported between July 2001 and September 2011, official as well as private, with a declared value of US$127 million but the daily figure is now US$34,231 in arms imports with one out of every 50 members of the population owning a legal weapon, not to mention the market in illegal weapons. This is despite the import ban on pistols and revolvers that has been in effect since 2006, although shotguns are still allowed.
The website makes the point that it is possible that the increase in firearms attacks is due to arms confiscated by the authorities that then find their way into the hands of criminals.
http://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/search/?q=&l=Dominican+Republic
http://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/region/dominican-republic
http://www.listindiario.com/la-republica/2016/06/21/423911/en-quince-anos-20455-han-caido-por-impactos-de-bala
