By executive order the government of Costa Rica has decided on a ban on new weapons permits to all foreigners and an exhaustive review of all existing permits held by foreigners and revoke any permits if such permits cannot be justified, said yesterday the ministro de la Presidencia, Rodrigo Arias Sánchez.

Currently a total of 2,023 foreigners hold weapons permits.

For his part, the ministero de Seguridad Pública, Oldermar Madrigal, said it is important to restrict the current permits and make issuing new permits more stringent, as the current law is lax. The changes are expected to make it to the reform of the Ley de Armas (weapons law) that will soon go before the Legislative Assembly.

The executive order follows Tuesday's attack on Judicial agents by a group of Jamaicans who opened fire on police with an AK47 automatic weapon, one of a number of high calibre weapons in their possession. An OIJ agent was killed in the gunfire shootout that took place in San Antonio de Escazú.

On Tuesday, 30 year old Randall López Garita, a member of the Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ) "Robo de Vehículos" (car theft) unit was gunner down by a group of Jamaicans suspected of shooting Milena Madriz Muñoz, the daughter of the Dominican Republic ambassador to Costa Rica, last Thursday in Los Yoses, San Pedro.

OIJ agents, in pursuit of their suspects, where met with gunfire from high calibre weapons, two rounds striking López in the thorax, dying on route to hospital.

Wednesday night the Fiscal General de la República, Francisco Dall'Anese, the head of the OIJ, Jorge Rojas, and ministro Arias, met with the intent of securing more financial resources to judicial agents for their continued fight against crime and criminal gangs.

The order is expected to be published in the official government publication, La Gaceta, on or before November 15.




Weapons chache of the Jamaicans involved in shootout with OIJ agents.