US embassy cable - 04TEGUCIGALPA1372

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