Ad for Royal “H” model automotaic pistol

For broad sectors of Spanish society, the increased social and political mobilization that followed the coming of the Second Republic generated a sense of insecurity that prompted an increased use of firearms. This increased demand led to a proliferation of advertisements in the press, like this one for the Royal Model “H” made by Beistegui Hermanos. The tendency for citizens to arms themselves betrays a clear lack of confidence towards the governments of the Republic, which brought in a range of measure intended to curtail the private use of guns, monitor their sale and circulation, and punish illegal ownership.

This privatization of public order took a number of forms. One of the most important was the creation of civic guards. The most noteworthy on the left was the source that Republicans and Socialists threw together on 14 April 1931 to guarantee security in Madrid. However, the armed mobilization of civilians was most frequent on the right. Associations of property owners and local political bosses (caciques) financed armed squads to protect their land and assist the civil Guard at moments of disorder, especially after October 1934.

The liberality with which free licenses to own guns were granted contributed o the growing private use of firearms. Among the auxiliary public order units, the municipal guards stood out in this respect. When a party came to power in a locality, it frequently fired the police hired by its predecessor and replaced them with its own supporters. This meant that the exiting gun licenses were cancelled, and new ones issued to the incoming officers, who also lacked any professional training. In 1934, a new measure allowed retired and reserve officers from the security forces to have a gun license.

Different governments put up with the demand for guns to different degrees. The right-wing governments of the second biennium were more generous when it came to granting the licenses for pistols and hunting rifles that came from social groups seeking to protect themselves and arm the watchmen who protected their properties. The centre-left government that came to power in 1936 was much less forthcoming. Even so, in some municipalities, the Popular Front organized groups of armed citizens who assisted the local police in making illegal arrests and illegally searching the homes of local conservative leaders.

SVM