Venezuela Destroys 2,000 Guns in an Attempt to Control Crime

The Venezuelan government publicly destroyed almost 2,000 shotguns and pistols in a Caracas city square as part of the gun-control campaign efforts. The new Interior Minister Nestor Reverol relaunched the event in an attempt to disarm Venezuelans to limit the country’s crime.

Venezuelan authorities have confiscated 17,686 weapons, including revolvers, pistols, rifles, shotguns and homemade arms this year and 406,534 firearms total since the program’s launch, according to Reverol.  

“We are going to bring disarmament and peace,” said Reverol, who was recently promoted by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

The socialist country has the second highest murder rate in the world and its capital Caracas is known as the most dangerous city with 119 murders per 100,000 people. The recession has forced officials to reduce resources, only causing the crime rates to continue to climb. Not to mention, the drop in police salaries has forced many to resort to corrupt practices.

Street gangs have managed to steal or buy weapons from corrupt Venezuelan officers and in the recent years, police and security officials have been targeted for their weapontry. Private gun ownership was made illegal in 2012.  

163 bodyguards, police and military officers were murdered in the first five months of 2016, which is a 14% increase from the same period in 2015. In 80% of the cases, the victim’s weapons were taken.  

With grocery store shelves empty, a dozen eggs costing $150, day-long lines for citizens to get food, unbelievably high crime rates and the inflation rate at 180%– it’s safe to say that the country is a perfect example of why socialism eventually fails. 

Corrupt practices are just the way of life there. With the reopened border with Colombia, Venezuelan officers have even more incentives to engage in illicit activities.  

Reverol was promoted by president Maduro only a few days after the US government accused the him and other high-level officials for accepting bribes from cocaine traffickers.

Last week’s gun-control event wasn’t the last. Reverol announced that another firearm destruction event will be occurring September 21.

Author’s note: Venezuela’s ramp up of this program just shows how desperate the country is to control its population. Socialism has been proven time and time again that it leads to chaos. It’s sad to think that citizens can’t bear arms and protect themselves from the dangerous environment that the Venezuelan government single-handedly created. Imagine not having the right to protect yourself and your family. Luckily, we live in a country with the second amendment.