As of September 9, Colombians who already held a valid firearm-carry permit no longer need to request a special annual authorization to use it. President Abelardo de la Espriella defended the change by pointing to seizure statistics that, his government argues, prove the real threat comes from illegal weapons. The figure driving that argument — that 76% of Colombia's gun homicides are committed with illegally sourced firearms — has circulated widely in the debate over the decree. The trouble is that the 76% doesn't answer that question at all.
