Honduras Starts New Gun Registry

TEGUCIGALPA (AFP) – TheHonduran government this week started anew national registry of legal weapons aspart of a campaign to combat violence.“We are inaugurating, for the firsttime, a registry of arms in Honduras thatwill strengthen security by separatingdelinquent gun carriers from the honestHondurans,” said President RicardoMaduro.The President acknowledged that anincreasing number of Hondurans duringthe past decade have been purchasingguns in response to a general perceptionthat police and state security forces areincapable of protecting citizens fromgrowing crime. But he insisted that perceptionis no longer accurate.“Security has increased and crime hasdecreased,” Maduro said. “Eventually, wehope that we will have a country were citizensdon’t feel the need to have guns,except for sport. And I think we are onthe right track to achieve this.”All unregistered weapons will be confiscatedand the carrier could be sanctionedwith eight to 10 years in prisonand a $540 fine.The cost of registering guns will be$41 per weapon.