The Ministry of the Interior and Police will begin confiscating, as of tomorrow, the firearms issued under what it is euphemistically calling “friendly” weapons permits. These illegal permits, estimated to number 300,000, were issued by Armed Forces personnel, the National Drug Control Department, the National Department of Investigations or the National Police. Among the holders of such permits are rural authorities, known as “alcaldes pedandeos,” municipal authorities such as mayors, and other governmental officials, all of whom will now need to obtain permits through the customary channels.
Furthermore, it is now prohibited to carry a visible weapon, such as a pistol down one’s waistband, even if that person is authorized to carry such a weapon. The Ministry of the Interior and Police will consider the mere visibility of a firearm to constitute a threat to the general public.
These measures are part of the Anti-Delinquency Plan being effected by the National Police, the military and the Justice Department.
The “prophylaxis” of the police force ? which has seen over 300 of its ranks dismissed and dispatched to the civil courts ? as well as the increased number of patrol units, are part of the program. Interior and Police Minister Franklin Almeyda Rancier said that his people would use the data bases of the police and the armed forces to trace those who hold these “friendly” permits and who have not complied with the 30 October deadline to turn their weapons in.