The National Police in Paraguay are reporting that 42 FN FAL battle rifles in their armory have been swapped for replicas (archived). During the Cold War the FN FAL was referred to as the "the right arm of the Free World" despite during that period having largely been used by colonial powers in efforts to impose their will on smaller groups that said "no". Firing a full power 7.62 mm cartridge the FN FAL enjoys a far greater effective range than the small bore reduced power arms branded "assault rifles" now favored by major state actors. At present the FN FAL is used in some role by non-state actors in every ongoing conflict with bleeding casualties that matters.

The replicas are reportedly made of wood.