NATIONAL ARMS REGISTRY BEGINS 18 MONTHS AFTER

UNCLAS TEGUCIGALPA 001372

SIPDIS

STATE FOR PM, INL/LP AND WHA/CEN

SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV KCRM KJUS SNAR SOCI PHUM HO
SUBJECT: NATIONAL ARMS REGISTRY BEGINS 18 MONTHS AFTER
MANDATE



1. (U) On June 14, the Honduran Ministry of Public Security
officially inaugurated a national firearms registry in the
cities of Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula, and La Ceiba. The
opening of the registry comes some 18 months after the
Honduran National Congress approved legislation to regulate
the sale, carrying, use, modification, repair, and
accumulation of firearms and munitions in addition to the
storage and transport of explosives. Under the law, all
commercial arms in the country, estimated at approximately
400,000, should be registered in the next six months. A
maximum of five weapons are permitted per person. Arms that
must be registered include revolvers, pistols, shotguns, and
semiautomatic weapons.


2. (U) Minister of Public Security (MOPS) Oscar Alvarez
indicated to the Honduran press that he expected the
government of Honduras (GOH) to open registries in Santa
Rosa de Copan, Comayagua, and Jutcalpa. The national arms
registry is intended to document all legal commercial
firearms in Honduras. Under the law, registrants are
required to provide the GOH with identifying information
including a physical description, address, and fingerprints.
Owners must also register the serial numbers of each firearm
they own. A ballistics test will be conducted to further
identify the weapon for law enforcement purposes. Citizens
are required to pay approximately USD 41 per weapon, of
which USD 30 will go to the registry and USD 11 for
municipal taxes.


3. (U) Under the new program, firearm owners are allowed a
six-month period to register their firearms with the GOH
which will end in December 2004. After that, GOH authorities
will be authorized to confiscate unregistered firearms and
owners will face fines and/or imprisonment. Starting in
2005, the GOH has also indicated its intent to confiscate
all firearms banned for private use, including prevalent
automatic assault weapons such as the Uzi, AK-47, M-16, and
M-1.


4. (SBU) Comment: Honduras is awash in firearms and almost
all businesses of any significance hire private armed guards
to provide security. Criminals are generally armed and
organized criminal groups have access to powerful automatic
weapons. There is also a market in Honduras for illegal
arms trafficking. While some gun owners will dutifully
comply with this new legislation, it is doubtful that the
majority of firearm owners will. Moreover, the GOH's ability
to enforce this mandate remains quite limited. As such,
Post believes this program will have limited impact on
rising crime rates in Honduras or on illegal gun ownership
in general. Police ministry officials continue to be
concerned about any importation of additional weapons into
Honduras. End comment.

PALMER