The Mexican government has introduced a new citizen disarmament program, offering financial rewards of up to $1,300 to individuals who voluntarily surrender firearms, including assault rifles and machine guns.
The initiative aims to curb violent crime across the country.
Details of the program were published in the official gazette on Monday, outlining the incentives for handing over weapons at designated collection sites, often located in church lobbies.
The rewards include 8,700 pesos ($430) for revolvers, 25,000 pesos ($1,200) for AK-47 rifles, and 26,450 pesos ($1,300) for machine guns.
President Claudia Sheinbaum, who recently launched the “Yes to Disarmament, Yes to Peace” campaign, assured citizens that no legal action would be taken against those who participate.
“It’s about setting up places like the lobbies of churches where people can go to turn in their weapons voluntarily, and give them economic incentives to give up their firearms,” she stated.
The president highlighted the program’s prior success in Mexico City during her tenure as mayor of the capital, which has a population of around nine million.
“We also had it in Mexico City and it had significant results,” she added.
Mexico continues to grapple with high levels of violence, much of it fueled by the illegal drug trade.
According to preliminary figures from the national statistics institute, 2023 saw 31,062 homicides, 70 percent of which involved firearms.
While Mexico has strict gun control laws that make legal firearm purchases nearly impossible, the government has consistently called on the United States to intensify efforts to prevent arms trafficking across their shared border.
