The governors from every department in Colombia agreed to institute a ‘month without weapons’ from December 7 to January 7 in a bid to decrease violence caused by fire arms.
The governors released a statement saying “weapons and ammunition create and enhance crime and tend to perpetuate conflict. The availability of weapons destroys the social fabric of society and discourages transactions by consensus.”
Each governor promised to conduct a public awareness campaign and work with their respective authorities to implement the plan, El Tiempo reported Thursday.
During the month those with legal permission to carry fire arms will not be allowed to do so.
According to El Timepo, there are more than 10 homicides per 100,000 inhabitantes in Colombia, 80 per cent of which are carried out by light fire arms.
The disarmament initiative was proposed by Atlantico Governor Eduardo Verano, who implemented the plan in his department last September.