Weapons In Bolivia: What's The Law?

Bolivia has strict gun laws, with civilians prohibited from possessing military weapons and fully automatic weapons. The Firearms, Munitions, Explosives and Other Materials Control Law, passed in 2013, set a six-month period for current gun owners to register or turn in their weapons. The law also established sentences for the possession and carrying of illegal weapons, with longer sentences for military-grade weapons. Bolivia has also ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) and acceded to the Firearms Protocol, which aims to tackle the illicit manufacturing and trafficking of firearms.

Bolivia's gun laws

Who Can Own a Gun?

The right to private gun ownership is not guaranteed by law in Bolivia. Civilians are not allowed to possess military weapons. Applicants for a gun owner's licence must be over 21 years old and pass a background check. They must also establish a genuine reason to possess a firearm, such as self-defence, sports, hunting or collection.

Licensed firearm owners in Bolivia are permitted to possess between two and five firearms.

Gun Registration

The law requires that a record of the acquisition, possession and transfer of each privately held firearm be kept in an official register.

Gun Sales and Transfers

The private sale and transfer of firearms is prohibited without authorisation from the Ministry of the Interior, through the Police.

Carrying Guns in Public

Carrying a gun in a public place is regulated by law. Carrying a firearm in plain view in a public place is prohibited.

Gun-Free Zones

Private guns are prohibited in social gatherings and public or private events, meetings or conferences, national, departmental, regional, municipal legislative sessions and indigenous gatherings, educational institutions, universities, hospitals and religious settings, public demonstrations, social movements, marches, strikes and rallies, prisons, sporting events, financial institutions, and judicial hearings.

Penalty for Illicit Firearm Possession

The maximum penalty for unlawful possession of a firearm is five years in prison.

Gun homicides in Bolivia

Bolivia has a strict gun control law, the Firearms, Munitions, Explosives and Other Materials Control Law, which was passed in 2013. The legislation sets a six-month period for current gun owners to register or turn in their weapons. Those who do not comply face a maximum sentence of six years for ownership or five years for carrying an illegal weapon.

While gun homicides statistics are not available for Bolivia, according to the Organization of American States (OAS) 2012 Report on Citizen Security in the Americas, the country has the fourth lowest intentional homicide rate in mainland Latin America. Nevertheless, as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) noted in its 2011 Global Study on Homicide, the homicide rate in Bolivia has risen in recent years. In 2016, there were 686 reported homicides in Bolivia, with a rate of 63 murders per 1,000,000 people. In 2021, there were 422 homicides, translating to a rate of 3.49 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants.

In 2019, there were 38 gun homicides in Bolivia, with an annual rate of 0.33 per 100,000 population. This is a decrease from previous years, with 29 gun homicides in 2018, 41 in 2017, 19 in 2016, and 11 in 2015. The percentage of homicides committed with a firearm in Bolivia was 9% in 2011 and 7% in 2010.

Gun trafficking in Bolivia

Bolivia has strict gun laws, and the government is taking steps to address the problem of illicit arms trafficking. In 2013, Bolivia enacted its first firearms legislation, the Firearms, Munitions, Explosives and Other Materials Control Law, which sets strict limitations on who can own a weapon. The law also establishes a maximum 30-year sentence for members of the security forces caught trafficking arms.

Despite these measures, arms trafficking remains an issue in Bolivia. In 2023, Bolivian police dismantled an arms trafficking network run by a former soldier, seizing 31 weapons, including machine guns, rifles, bazookas, and over 3,6000 bullets. The former soldier had trafficked weapons from suppliers in Bolivia, Colombia, and Peru.

Bolivia has also taken steps to strengthen its legal and institutional framework to address the illicit manufacturing of and trafficking in firearms. In 2020, Bolivia deposited the ratification instrument of the Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, becoming the 119th State Party to the Protocol. This was a significant step in Bolivia's fight against illicit firearms trafficking and related crimes.

As of 2024, the estimated total number of guns (both licit and illicit) held by civilians in Bolivia is 218,000, with an estimated 207,018 unregistered and unlawfully held guns. The defense forces of Bolivia are reported to have 87,590 firearms, while the police are reported to have 42,000.

Types of weapons in Bolivia

Bolivia has strict gun laws, and the right to private gun ownership is not guaranteed by law. The manufacture of small arms, ammunition, and their components is permitted only if the maker holds a valid license. The country's defence forces have 87,590 firearms, and the police have 42,000.

In 2013, Bolivia enacted its first firearms legislation, the Firearms, Munitions, Explosives and Other Materials Control Law. This law sets strict limitations on who can own a weapon and establishes a legal framework for tackling arms trafficking.

The Bolivian Army has a range of weapons at its disposal, including:

• Semi-automatic pistols
• Submachine guns
• Battle/assault rifles/carbines
• Sniper and anti-materiel rifles
• General-purpose machine guns
• Automatic grenade launchers
• Anti-tank guided missiles

Bolivia's infantry weapons include:

• Assault rifles/carbines
• General-purpose machine guns
• Anti-tank guided missiles
• Heavy machine guns
• Submachine guns
• Sniper rifles
• Anti-materiel rifles
• Machine guns
• Grenade launchers

Bolivia's nuclear weapons stance

Bolivia has a strong stance against nuclear weapons and for nuclear disarmament. The country has signed and ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), which entered into force in January 2021. Bolivia was among the original 50 states party to the treaty, and it ratified the TPNW in 2019.

In its statements to the United Nations, Bolivia has called nuclear weapons “the most inhumane weapons ever conceived" and argued that countries should not view them as "an indispensable and legitimate guarantor of their own security". Bolivia has also promoted universal adherence to the TPNW, encouraging all states that have not yet done so to join the treaty.

In line with this stance, Bolivia has no nuclear weapons and has never possessed or controlled them. It also does not allow other states to station their nuclear weapons on its territory.

Bolivia's support for nuclear disarmament is further demonstrated by its endorsement of the "humanitarian pledge" in 2015-2016, where it committed to cooperating in efforts to "stigmatise, prohibit, and eliminate nuclear weapons". Additionally, Bolivia has ratified other weapons of mass destruction treaties, such as the Tlatelolco Treaty.

However, it is worth noting that in 2014, there were speculations about Bolivia's potential interest in pursuing nuclear energy. At that time, the country's Vice President, Alvaro Garcia Linera, declared that Bolivia would go nuclear as part of its technological development strategy for the next 400 to 500 years. He referred to nuclear energy as a “sacred fire" that humanity must master. Nevertheless, there is no indication that Bolivia has pursued nuclear weapons or deviated from its commitment to nuclear disarmament expressed in the TPNW.

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