ADDIS ABABA, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) — Ethiopia’s lower house of parliament on Friday approved the country’s first legislation on gun control.
The Weapons Administration and Control Proclamation, passed by the House of People’s Representatives, envisages streamlining the administration and control of weapons possession, state-run Ethiopian News Agency (ENA) reported.
The new legal framework is believed to facilitate Ethiopia’s efforts to combat the illegal trafficking of weapons across the country.
The proclamation will help maintain rule of law and ensure peace and stability, and address “the lack of uniformity with regard to regulating and controlling weapons and their usage in the country,” ENA said.
Arms smuggling is relatively common in northwest Ethiopia, where people use firearms as protection against blood feuds and as a personal trophy.
Smuggled firearms have been used by criminals to commit robbery and by rebel groups to fight the government.
However, armed anti-government acts have dropped significantly in Ethiopia in recent years following government efforts to reconcile with armed opposition groups.
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