City of Juarez pushes gun buyback campaign, hoping to reduce violence

JUAREZ, Chihuahua (KVIA) -- The City of Juarez started its Campaña Canje de Armas 2023 in August, aiming to decrease violence south of the border.

With a budget of nearly $1 million Mexican pesos, officials on all three levels of Mexican government, along with the Chamber of Commerce in Juarez, will pay residents if they turn in their guns.

The goal is to prevent homicides and domestic violence.

People interested in selling back their guns or ammunition will not be asked for an ID or background check for privacy purposes. They can go to any of the pop-up stations that operate every day and will be paid in cash.

Officials say they will only stop the campaign once the full budget is spent. In 2022, the campaign lasted nearly two months, according to the National Chamber of Commerce in Juarez.