Mexican citizens will now have the right to have firearms at home for security purposes and self-defense, according to a decree by which several provisions of the Mexican Constitution have been reformed, enriched, and in some cases repealed as part of the new National Guard.
The document, which the Ministry of Interior published yesterday, was issued by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador on March 22 . In its Article 10, the decree states that the domestic use of weapons banned by Federal Law and those reserved for Mexico’s armed forces will be prohibited. “All cases, conditions, and requirements under which citizens will be allowed to carry weapons will be determined by Federal Law.”
Article 16
adds that “Any person may stop a suspect at the moment he or she commits a crime or immediately after the crime was committed to put him or her at the disposition of the nearest civil authority.”
On the other hand, Article 21 states that “The Federation will have a police institution of civilian nature called the National Guard, whose purposes are described in the ninth paragraph of this article, encompassing coordination and collaboration with federal states and municipalities, as well as the protection of the Nation’s goods and resources.”
“The organizational structure and direction of the National Guard, which will be associated with the Ministry of Public Security , will be determined by law.”
“The training and performance of all National Guard members and other police institutions shall follow a police doctrine based on service to society, discipline, respect for human rights, the state of law, and the superior command with a gender perspective.”
The decree will come into effect a day after its publication in the Official Journal of the Federation .
In the 60 days following the entry into force of the decree, the Congress of Union will pass the National Guard Law and work on legal changes to regulate the use of force and record of detentions.
The National Guard will be composed of members of Federal, Military, and Naval police determined by the President.
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