Bogota Colombia: Ban on carrying firearms until May 1, 2012, effort to reduce crime

Until 1 May 2012, in Bogotá is restricted the carrying of firearms during the 24 hours in any public place in town. The standard adopted by the Thirteenth Brigade of the Army, at the request of Mayor Gustavo Petro Urrego, to assess the impact that the move could generate for reducing crime rates and to promote a policy of formal abandonment weapons.

For the president of the capital “the restriction is only part of the process, but this measure what you want is to encourage the disuse of arms, delve into the futility and dangers that have a firearm and demystify a set of beliefs in environment associated with that guns are synonymous with safety and courage. ”

Of the total number of homicides in Bogotá in 2011 (1.632), 62.3% (1,016) were carried out with firearms. Of these 1,016, it is estimated that between 10 and 13 percent of the weapons used were legal.

According to consolidated by the Research Center on Coexistence and Citizen Security – CEACSC, the Secretariat of Government, firearms had a 20.8 percent share in total thefts people in 2011, 21.95 in the theft of vehicles and 17.9 percent in the thefts to retail outlets. In the case of theft to banking institutions in 100 percent of the cases there are firearms. Read Article