Prohibition of Carrying Firearms, Ammunition, and Explosives in Tourist Zones

This law prohibits carrying firearms, ammunition, and explosives in Honduras's tourist zones, even if registered or authorized. Military, police, and authorized private security companies are exempt. The goal is to protect tourists and residents by improving security in tourist destinations.

That the Constitution of the Republic in its article 59 establishes that the human person is the supreme purpose of society and the State. Everyone has the obligation to respect and protect it. Likewise, article 61 guarantees Hondurans and foreigners residing in the country the right to the inviolability of life, to individual security, to freedom, to equality before the law, and to property.

That the tourism sector has priority within the National Development Plan and it is advisable to adopt measures that allow the organs and entities of the sector to fulfill their specific functions efficiently and effectively in order to contribute to the economic and social development of the country, within the economic policies approved by the Government, collected through Executive Decree PCM-No. 011-2014 dated May 3, 2014, the tourism sector was declared as a priority sector for the social and economic development of the country.

That in accordance with article 2 of the Law for the Control of Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives and other similar items contained in Decree No. DN-2000 of April 11, 2011 and published in the Official Gazette La Gaceta on June 29 of that same year, the application of this Law corresponds to the Executive Power through the State Secretariat in the Office of Security, as well as to maintain peace and internal security of the Republic in accordance with article 254 immemorial 5 of the Constitution of the Republic.

That in case of alteration of public tranquility, the authorities to whom the application of the Law cited in the preceding recital corresponds shall take, within the scope of their competence, measures to ensure strict compliance with it, including the suspension or immediate cancellation of permits.

That the "ratio legis" of the legislator in sanctioning the illegal possession and carrying of weapons is the protection of the community, the defense of society and public order; to prevent the misuse that could eventually be made of firearms given the lethal potential that characterizes them, which makes a permissive and indiscriminate possession eminently dangerous and unavoidable.

That security implies the regulation of society's behavior through normative provisions of public order, with the objective of guaranteeing the maintenance of peace as well as prevention and prosecution actions executed by the entities that make up the justice and security sector of the State, therefore, it is necessary to issue provisions for the State to effectively control the possession, registration, and illicit carrying of firearms in the hands of private individuals. In this sense, disarmament is ordered for the purposes of safeguarding peace, coexistence, citizen and institutional security, as well as the physical integrity of persons and their properties.

That through Decree 117-2012, dated August 2, 2012 and published in the Official Gazette La Gaceta on August 7 of that same year, article 37 of the Law for the Control of Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives and other similar items was reformed by addition in the sense of prohibiting the carrying of firearms throughout the national territory, specific regions or subregions thereof. Honduran Tourism Institute, Executive Decree PCM-011-2014 and Agreement 312 dated November 29, 1982.