The Argentina government issued a decree authorizing semiautomatic firearms for civilian use, a new step in President Javier Milei’s campaign promise of loosening gun-ownership laws. 

The new law will allow civilians with a legal permit to purchase and own semiautomatic assault rifles, carbines, or machine guns with a detachable magazine of .22 LR caliber or above. 

According to the document, these weapons have been tightly controlled since a 1995 decree banned their sale to civilians, allowing only for rare exceptions explicitly authorized by the Defense Ministry. 

The reason for this change, the government argues, is that the strict legislation caused many irregular situations as people who owned these weapons died without being able to transfer property rights to other users.  

“It is necessary to address the possibility [that these kind of weapons] may be used in sport settings or other lawful activities, following an analysis of every situation conducted by the relevant authority,” the decree reads.   

The decree replaces the previous authorization system with a new regime run by the National Agency of Controlled Materials (ANMAC, for its Spanish initials), a government body within the Security Ministry’s sphere in charge of monitoring gun ownership. 

Looser gun laws

Milei has been vocal about his desire to reduce gun-ownership requirements ever since the campaign trail. In December 2024, his administration had already lowered the age for ownership from 21 to 18. Later moves included loosening requirements for firearms businesses and manufacturers, as well as exempting companies involved in these operations from the need of obtaining municipal permits.  

The most recent deregulation effort was a decree in May simplifying steps for firearms permits by allowing potential users — either civilians or members of the security forces — to apply for them online. 

The legislation mandated that a government site would centralize a buyer’s information regarding legal background checks. If subjects are cleared, they will be issued a credential authorizing them to legally purchase a firearm. They will also be allowed to buy an Ammunition Consumption Card (TCCM, for its Spanish initials), in order to keep tabs on how much ammunition they buy.

Users will be able to control these operations through the ANMAC’s app, called “MiANMAC,” which is available to download from the Mi Argentina website.