ABSTRACT
The high level of crime which had developed in El Salvador by the end of 1995 prompted a group of citizens and business leaders to create the Patriotic Movement against Crime. The main challenge was to earn the confidence of all sectors from the outset and, in that regard, to amend the Act on the Control of Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives and Similar Articles, which prohibits the possession of weapons reserved for the exclusive use of the armed forces. In order for the Consumer Goods for Firearms Programme to be carried out, a transitional legislative decree was required to permit all citizens to carry these weapons, solely and strictly for the purpose of delivering them to the designated collection centres on the set dates. The Consumer Goods for Firearms programme, launched on 21-22 September 1996, reflects the belief that the only way to lasting peace in El Salvador is through actions taken by the Salvadoran society itself.
