MISSING PIECES - Inter-Parliamentary Union

MISSING PIECES
of disarmament. The city understood early on that disarmament exercises,
beyond taking thousands of weapons out of circulation, must also change
the perception citizens have of the role guns play in their security.
A proposal to collect illicit firearms and discourage the use of weapons
by civilians was put forward in Pereira. This included an education campaign
whereby young people, who previously belonged to violent groups, toured
schools and colleges of the city with the message “no to arms”. A public
consultation process also took place to raise awareness on the use of firearms
by civilians. In July 2006, over 130,000 votes opposing the possession
of weapons by civilians were registered: 91% of the total number of votes
registered.
We received positive responses from cities such as Bogotá, Medellín,
Cali, Ibagué and others, who share our vision of a society where weapons
would only be found in the hands of forces that are authorised to hold
weapons. Indeed, the public consultation process held in Pereira inspired
several major cities in Colombia to pursue public initiatives aimed at restricting
the legislation pertaining to the possession and carrying of firearms.
A society without arms may appear to be a utopian ideal, but we will
never know what can be achieved if we do not try. In the case of Pereira,
we have succeeded in reducing the homicide rate by 23% during the first
eight months of 2006, a positive indicator that has been attributed to the
reinforcement and commitment of the police force, and to the disarmament
message that forms part of our programme on citizen culture, security and
coexistence: “Pereira ConVida” (Pereira with Life).
6. Destroying guns
“The 114 th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union . . . encourages
parliaments to urge their governments to destroy, in public view and
wherever possible, all illicit SALW that are recovered by the national
authorities in the context of armed conflict and crime, including SALW
recovered in the context of DDRR programmes, and to dispose of
such SALW in a safe, environmentally responsible and cost-effective
manner.”
—IPU resolution, 114th Assembly, 12 May 2006 , para. 29
To ensure that collected weapons are permanently removed from circulation,
the preferred method is destruction—usually in a public way that aids
verification and confidence building. In Sierra Leone, destroyed guns were
recycled into agricultural tools, which were then provided to ex-combatants
as reintegration assistance. This programme cleverly combined efficiency,
utility, symbolism, and environmental concerns. 11
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