Colombia lifts decade-long gun carry ban, affecting nearly 700,000 permit holders

In a country long shaped by the weight of armed conflict, Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella has signed a decree restoring the right of some 700,000 licensed gun owners to carry their registered firearms in public — ending a restriction that began as a temporary holiday measure in 2015 and quietly became a decade of policy. The move fulfills a campaign promise rooted in the belief that law-abiding citizens should not be left defenseless while criminal organizations remain heavily armed. It reopens one of governance's oldest questions: whether safety is better served by concentrating