Uruguay’s Senate is at the center of a heated debate over gun control, as importers and collectors challenge new legislative proposals they say threaten constitutional rights. During a meeting of the Senate Security and Coexistence Commission on Wednesday, key stakeholders—including the Chamber of Firearm Importers, collectors, gunsmiths, and shooting range operators—voiced strong opposition to two bills under consideration.
The first bill, introduced by senators from the Frente Amplio (FA) in the previous legislative term, proposes a limit of three registered firearms per person. The second, sponsored by National Party Senator Carlos Camy, allows up to eight. A third initiative by FA deputy Alejandro Zavala has also been submitted in the Chamber of Deputies. The regulatory landscape includes a National Public Security Plan that treats gun proliferation as a ‘cross-cutting facilitator of violence,’ plus a ministerial decree yet to be revealed.
Uruguay has 617,327 registered firearms, leading South America in guns per capita with a rate of 34.7 per 100,000 civilians, according to the Interior Ministry. Globally, a 2017 Small Arms Survey ranked Uruguay sixth with Canada in guns per 100 inhabitants. The debate continues as the government weighs public safety against individual rights.
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