Under Muammar Gaddafi, Libya had laws that controlled who could legally own guns. People generally needed government permission (licenses or permits) to possess certain firearms, and unauthorized possession could be punished. However, Gaddafi did not advocate complete civilian disarmament. He often promoted the idea that ordinary citizens should receive military training and that the nation should be defended by an "armed people." In practice, though, the government still wanted weapons ownership and distribution to remain under state control.