Drizzt
April 14, 2003, 08:13 PM
Food for guns offered in Mexico
By Angeles Negrete Lares
The Brownsville Herald
MATAMOROS, April 13, 2003 — Carrying a gun not only protects Ernesto Contreras at school — it gives him respect, he said.
But Contreras said he is not a lone gunman. Students at Matamoros high schools and middle schools said guns and switchblades are prevalent on campuses there.
Some said they carry weapons for protection. Others simply said the weapons make them feel ‘cool.’
"Everybody carries a gun or knives sometimes," said the 16-year-old student at Roberto Arguelles Middle School in Matamoros. "You have to carry guns and knives around here. You just never know."
In order to reduce the presence of illegal guns in Matamoros, Mexico’s National Defense Department (SEDENA) and the Matamoros police department reintroduced a now-annual campaign encouraging residents to exchange their firearms for food coupons.
Officers said Friday that several revolvers and rifles were brought in during the offer’s first week.
Owning or even possessing a firearm is illegal in Mexico. Exceptions are made for those employed by law enforcement agencies, those belonging to a sanctioned gun club and for people who can prove they need a gun for protection.
The possession of any gun or rifle without proper authorization is considered a firearms offense in Mexico and carries stiff penalties, according to the Mexican Penal Code.
The possession of a single non-assault weapon can bring a sentence of up to five years in a Mexican prison. Firearms sentences can be as long as 30 years.
But countless residents, perhaps concerned about their safety, obtain guns illegally through the black market. Many firearms come from the United States.
Fernando Ramirez, in charge of one of the weapons exchange posts, said no questions are asked when people arrive with firearms, ammunition or explosives, which are traded for coupons worth up to about $100 at local markets.
"Here we have registered almost 12 rifles," he said last week.
One weapons exchange post is located inside the Secretariat of National Defense at Calle Gonzalez and 11th Street.
Matamoros police said the campaign has netted high-powered AK-47s, R15s and even grenades.
"We will never know if through this campaign a life was saved. But what we can say is that the families that gave these up won’t suffer an accident at home or won’t commit a crime with the firearm," said Roberto Zolezzi of the Matamoros police’s Community Participation Committee.
Zolezzi said the committee was formed three years ago to coordinate police activities and fight crime in the city’s colonias.
Last year, their efforts in Matamoros brought in a total of 5,634 bullets or ammunition, four grenades, including three that were active, and 219 guns. The 2002 campaign exceeded the previous year’s total of 17 firearms.
"We surpassed our goal," said Hiram Gonzalez, director of the Matamoros police department. "And in the future, we are confident that thousands more (guns) will be turned in,"
In Ciudad Victoria, Nuevo Laredo, Reynosa, Tampico and Madero, some 115 guns were collected, as well as 25,000 bullets and 14 grenades.
In Matamoros, the weapons are collected by Mexican Army soldiers and no questions are asked. Some are sent to Mexico City to be destroyed.
"The program rewards residents with $50 to $100 in grocery store coupons for each gun and from $5 to $20 for bullets," Zolezzi explained. "The money used to fund the coupons are part of the donations that local companies make to the committee — companies such as maquiladoras (and) groceries stores, among others."
Last year, the campaign received almost $10,000 in such donations. This year, only $5,000 in donations have been made.
Zolezzi said the program began two years ago after authorities noticed that growing numbers of children were being killed or injured while playing with guns at home and at school.
"We don’t want any firearm or any tragedy caused by the use of guns in our schools," he said.
http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/sections/archive/topstoryjmp/4-13-03/News5.htm
We can't have common people in Mexico commiting crimes with guns.... that's the government's job.
By Angeles Negrete Lares
The Brownsville Herald
MATAMOROS, April 13, 2003 — Carrying a gun not only protects Ernesto Contreras at school — it gives him respect, he said.
But Contreras said he is not a lone gunman. Students at Matamoros high schools and middle schools said guns and switchblades are prevalent on campuses there.
Some said they carry weapons for protection. Others simply said the weapons make them feel ‘cool.’
"Everybody carries a gun or knives sometimes," said the 16-year-old student at Roberto Arguelles Middle School in Matamoros. "You have to carry guns and knives around here. You just never know."
In order to reduce the presence of illegal guns in Matamoros, Mexico’s National Defense Department (SEDENA) and the Matamoros police department reintroduced a now-annual campaign encouraging residents to exchange their firearms for food coupons.
Officers said Friday that several revolvers and rifles were brought in during the offer’s first week.
Owning or even possessing a firearm is illegal in Mexico. Exceptions are made for those employed by law enforcement agencies, those belonging to a sanctioned gun club and for people who can prove they need a gun for protection.
The possession of any gun or rifle without proper authorization is considered a firearms offense in Mexico and carries stiff penalties, according to the Mexican Penal Code.
The possession of a single non-assault weapon can bring a sentence of up to five years in a Mexican prison. Firearms sentences can be as long as 30 years.
But countless residents, perhaps concerned about their safety, obtain guns illegally through the black market. Many firearms come from the United States.
Fernando Ramirez, in charge of one of the weapons exchange posts, said no questions are asked when people arrive with firearms, ammunition or explosives, which are traded for coupons worth up to about $100 at local markets.
"Here we have registered almost 12 rifles," he said last week.
One weapons exchange post is located inside the Secretariat of National Defense at Calle Gonzalez and 11th Street.
Matamoros police said the campaign has netted high-powered AK-47s, R15s and even grenades.
"We will never know if through this campaign a life was saved. But what we can say is that the families that gave these up won’t suffer an accident at home or won’t commit a crime with the firearm," said Roberto Zolezzi of the Matamoros police’s Community Participation Committee.
Zolezzi said the committee was formed three years ago to coordinate police activities and fight crime in the city’s colonias.
Last year, their efforts in Matamoros brought in a total of 5,634 bullets or ammunition, four grenades, including three that were active, and 219 guns. The 2002 campaign exceeded the previous year’s total of 17 firearms.
"We surpassed our goal," said Hiram Gonzalez, director of the Matamoros police department. "And in the future, we are confident that thousands more (guns) will be turned in,"
In Ciudad Victoria, Nuevo Laredo, Reynosa, Tampico and Madero, some 115 guns were collected, as well as 25,000 bullets and 14 grenades.
In Matamoros, the weapons are collected by Mexican Army soldiers and no questions are asked. Some are sent to Mexico City to be destroyed.
"The program rewards residents with $50 to $100 in grocery store coupons for each gun and from $5 to $20 for bullets," Zolezzi explained. "The money used to fund the coupons are part of the donations that local companies make to the committee — companies such as maquiladoras (and) groceries stores, among others."
Last year, the campaign received almost $10,000 in such donations. This year, only $5,000 in donations have been made.
Zolezzi said the program began two years ago after authorities noticed that growing numbers of children were being killed or injured while playing with guns at home and at school.
"We don’t want any firearm or any tragedy caused by the use of guns in our schools," he said.
http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/sections/archive/topstoryjmp/4-13-03/News5.htm
We can't have common people in Mexico commiting crimes with guns.... that's the government's job.