Berliner Tageblatt - Mexicans offered $1,300 to hand in a machine gun

The financial incentives for people dropping off weapons at collection points in churches were published late Monday in the country's official gazette.

They include 8,700 pesos ($430) for a revolver, 25,000 pesos ($1,200) for an AK-47 rifle and 26,450 pesos ($1,300) for a machine gun.

President Claudia Sheinbaum last month encouraged residents to participate in the "Yes to Disarmament, Yes to Peace" program, assuring those skeptical that they would not be prosecuted if they gave up weapons.

"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 said.

"We also had it in Mexico City and it had significant results," added the former mayor of the capital city, home to around nine million people.

Mexico is plagued by violent crime linked to the multibillion-dollar illegal drug trade.

In 2023, the country recorded 31,062 homicides, 70 percent of which were caused by firearms, according to preliminary data from the national statistics institute.

Mexico tightly controls gun sales, making them practically impossible to obtain legally, and has repeatedly urged Washington to tackle arms trafficking across the border from the United States.

L.Dubois--BTB