Argentina lifts ban on assault rifles, semi-automatic weapons

BUENOS AIRES: Argentina on Wednesday overturned a three-decade ban on citizens owning semi-automatic weapons and assault rifles, part of far-right President Javier Milei´s drive to liberalize gun ownership.

The reform published in the government gazette allows so-called “legitimate users” to “acquire and possess semi-automatic weapons with detachable magazines, similar to assault rifles, carbines or submachine guns derived from military-use firearms.”

Until now, the purchase and ownership of these categories of weapons were reserved for the military.