Mexico City Catholic Church Collecting Guns to Help Reduce Violence Hispanically Speaking News
go to original June 13, 2013

Mexico City has been known as a relative safe haven in a country ravaged by deadly gang warfare. But recent murders and kidnappings are adding to concerns that the capital is becoming a new battleground between rival drug cartels. Al Jazeera's Rachel Levin reports from Mexico City. (AlJazeeraEnglish)

In the first five months of 2013 Mexico City authorities have collected nearly 5,500 firearms. Though the number is small in comparison to the weapons that are illegally on the streets of Mexico City, it is in fact more weapons (5,433) that have been voluntarily collected in the four previous years.

The gun collection program is a great success in great part due to the Catholic Church in Mexico City which helps collect guns and get the word out about the program.  The program also has government money that is used to “barter” for the weapons.

7 million pesos were allocated to the program, whoever delivers weapons can receive in exchange a sum of money or pieces of furniture, electronic equipment and/or groceries.

Among the weapons collected have been 3,903 handguns (pistols), 1,259 rifles, 356 grenades and 44,448 cartridges.  In turn these weapons have been exchanged for bicycles, groceries, appliances, tablets and laptops.

The authorities are very enthusiastic about the support offered by the Catholic Church to the campaign, “people completely trust the priests and bishops’ word, and also because the exchange takes place in front of the churches”, reports Agenzia Fides.

In the atrium of the Metropolitan Cathedral in Mexico City, speaking before the head of the city government, Miguel Angel Mancera, Cardinal Norberto Rivera said that in addition to the disarmament of the population, measures are needed to strengthen the family unit in order to allow families to become a space of harmony, peace and tolerance.

The Cardinal then pointed out that the campaign “For your Family a Voluntary Disarmament”, is expected to soon exceed 6 thousand delivered weapons.

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