By Tom Croasdell

Between 1997 and 2005, gun-related crimes killed 20,752 people in Argentina

6th July 2006 was a normal winter day in Buenos Aires. At around 5pm, 27-year-old Martín Rios hopped off the number 80 bus in the capital’s northern neighbourhood of Belgrano, and suddenly opened fire on random passersby. He injured six people and killed one – a bright, 19-year-old student named Alfredo Marcenac.

As tragic as the story is, the reality is that Marcenac is just one of 32,000 who, in the last ten years, has died from gun violence in Argentina. Though not by any means a new phenomenon, gun crime is out of control, raising tough questions in a country where guns can be purchased easily. (You do need a license. I’ve checked into getting one.)

Marcenac’s murder caused public outcry and calls for tighter controls on gun purchase and ownership in Argentina. Nearly one year after his death, with strong backing from disarmament groups as well as the families of shooting victims, the Argentine government launched a six-month gun amnesty which came to an end on 26th December.

Background

The number of guns in Argentina increased dramatically after the economic crisis of 2001. It was reported that the number of gun sales within the country increased by 50% in the four months that followed the collapse of the economy.

Although Argentina has fully recovered from financial devastation, somewhat inevitably, the sudden influx of guns that arrived in the country has had a lasting impact. According to International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA), "Socio-economic inequalities, corruption and brutality among security forces, and the easy availability of small arms and light weapons have set the stage for some of the worst rates of violent crime and murder in the world."

Prior to the amnesty, studies showed that one in ten people over the age of 18 in Argentina possess a gun, with half of them claiming they did so for the purpose of self-protection – namely in the poorer neighbourhoods of Argentina, where a gun culture is particularly active.

The National Firearms Registry (RENAR) demonstrated concordance with the findings of the poll, claiming that there are at least as many unregistered guns as there are registered in Argentina, which stands at 1.2m.

The Amnesty

The amnesty, spearheaded by the Interior Ministry, was introduced given ‘the necessity to reduce armed violence; a product of the proliferation of firearms, as much in the legal market, as in the illegal market’. Other objectives included the promotion of a non-violent society.

The scheme allowed anyone who owns a firearm, whether registered or unregistered, to hand over their weapon anonymously in exchange for cash sums ranging from US$30 to US$150.

The program also included a public awareness campaign to highlight the danger of guns in the home, with the slogan: "If you have a gun at home, you have a problem" branded around the city.

According to Darío Kosovsky, of the Institute of Comparative Studies in Criminal and Social Sciences and the Argentine Disarmament Network (RAD), the buy-back scheme was ‘an historic step forward and a great effort by the state’ in the fight against citizen violence.

"This program is going to reduce the number of guns circulating among the civilian population, while at the same time helping to send a compelling message to society that it is the state that must have a monopoly on the use of legitimate violence, not the citizens," he continued.

Revolvers, pistols, shot guns, carbines and rifles were among the 70,000 firearms which were anonymously handed over to the authorities throughout the six-month duration of the scheme, along with 50,000 rounds of ammunition.

The Future

Combating gun crime in Argentina and, indeed, across the continent, is fairly new on the political agenda. It has taken 32,000 fatalities (a figure which includes murders, suicides and accidents) in just under ten years to pressure politicians into taking significant action, but IANSA has conceded that ‘promising initiatives’ are gradually being put into place.

Following the success of the amnesty, the government has announced its intention to spend $10m on a similar buy-back scheme in 2008, details of which are yet to be released.

Any measures that reduce the number of guns in circulation in Argentina are surely beneficial. Yet the possibility of long term success with such schemes, which some sections of the public have labeled gimmicky, has been widely debated.

Daniel Luz of the ‘Comunidad Segura’ group – who work to provide resources for projects aimed at improving community safety – believes the root of the problem is embedded deep into Argentine society, a fact which needs to be addressed before steps like the amnesty program.

Luz claims that the reduction of gun crime can only be achieved ‘through strategies of development, both social and economic’. This would include a reshaping of formal structures (such as the judiciary system) and informal (including families), to increase confidence in support networks.

Argentina’s biggest disarmament network, RAD, like ‘Comunidad Segura’, recognises that, eventually, the attitude within society needs to evolve. However, in terms of a step that will have an instant yet lasting impact, RAD welcomes the government’s efforts, and shares the belief that one of the key solutions to the problem lies within a more efficient management of the gun control system in Argentina, notably in terms of licensing and registration of guns.