Mexico’s plan to disarm its population

The scene is the least shocking. Throughout the last weeks, in Mexico City or more recently in locations in the states of Gentleman and Chiapasrows of armed people with revolvers, shotguns, rifles, cartridges and bullets have been organized. They are not military. No traffickers. No police. In the tails you can see citizens of all kinds, from men with their children to the elderly, ladies or young people. Everyone does the same: They wait for their turn patiently before a tent occupied by military With their weapons or ammunition under your arm.

They are there to make a peculiar barter: change their weapons for money or appliances. And incidentally contribute to Claudia Sheinbaum’s last attempt by fight violence In Mexico, the program “Yes to disarmament, yes to peace”.

Gun by toasters? It is a peculiar barter, but that is what has been done This Monday in Tapachulaa town of Chiapas, on the southern border of Mexico. There, in the Municipal Palace, a collection point was set up with Army personnel for citizens who wanted to deliver their weapons in exchange for a reward. Which? In this case, appliances, such as Inform The EFE agency.

The first to participate was a young man who got rid of a revolver of the 38 caliber. It is not known what he received in return, but in The photos The ceremony shows that in the position mounted by the Government there are several boxes with whippers or coffee makers. Tapachula’s act marks the beginning of A campaign of collection of weapons, ammunition and explosives that will run until Saturday by other locations in the state of Chiapas, such as Metapa or Mazatán.

And why do we collect weapons? For destroy them. Or at least remove them from the streets. In the post of Tapachula could be seen in fact how, after receiving the 38 caliber revolver, the army staff I was useless live. Although The goal Last is more ambitious: what Sheinbaum is looking is fight crimesviolence and insecurity, in addition to accidents.

“Weapons are a symbol of violence and death. We do not want any family to have a weapon at home,” He claimed The Mexican president in January, when she presented the campaign, baptized ‘Yes to disarmament, yes to peace’. The Secretary of the Government Rosa Icela went further when talking about the campaign and made her claim clear: “Each weapon received is a crime or injury less.”

Rewards … and anonymity. To encourage people to take out the guns, rifles and cartridges that may have been stored, sometimes for years and inheritances, the Mexican government has played two large buzas. A, Anonymity. Another, the reward, either in pesos or with appliances, as seen This same week In the state of Chiapas.

One of the key messages From the campaign ‘yes to disarmament, yes to peace’ is that citizens can get rid of their guns, bullets and explosives Without having to give explanations nor fear that the exchange activates an investigation into its origin. “The collection of weapons will depend on the population attending the exchange module voluntarily and anonymously, without legal consequences for the fact of possessing armament,” they collect The bases published by the Mexican Executive.

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A good gesture … with a reward included. Although the government insists In the advantages of the program for the population, who participate directly has offered another more palpable reward: money. As collect The countrythe General Secretariat of the Interior has set certain amounts that apply depending on the characteristics of the weapon, its model, caliber or useful life. The exchanges can in fact at 26,450 pesos, just over 1,200 euros. In the case of a grenade, the planned payments move between 12 and 70 dollars.

On other occasions what is offered in exchange for guns and rifles are appliances. It could be seen a few days ago In Tapachulabut also in the municipality of Progreso de Obregón, in the Hildago state. The National Defense Secretariat itself I recently uploaded photos To his X profile in which he saw how a military distributed boxes with toasters or plates, among other devices.

The initiative also has a pedagogical dimension and aspires to transfer a message to the new generations of Mexicans. During the presentation of the CDMX campaign there were children who exchanged “war” toys, such as plastic guns, for others without that connotation. “The objective (is) that no boy or girl has a toy that has to do with violence. We replace a war for another educational,” advocated At the beginning of the Sheinbaum year.

Is it a new idea? Not quite. Is The first time that the strategy to withdraw weapons from households and the streets is launched nationwide, but before it had already been launched in the capital, where Sheinbaum exercised for years as Head of Government of CDMX. In fact in The official website From the capital administration there is a section dedicated to the program ‘Yes to disarmament, yes to La Paz’ in which it stands out that since its inception, in 2019, 6,546 weapons were recorded.

“It seeks to withdraw the weapons of the civilian population, whether they have acquired it legally or illegally, to reduce high -impact crimes associated with firearms,” argues The CDMX government. For now and expect the campaign Keep advancingthis new effort seems to be also paying off. In February Icela stressed that in just one month he had served to collect 540 weapons and on March 21 that figure had fired until The thousand. That without counting 84 large, thousands of bullets and several dynamite cartridges.

Images | Government Secretariat of Mexico City (X) and National Defense Secretariat (X)

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