SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (Reuters) — A total of 1,295 firearms, confiscated so far this year in El Salvador, were destroyed in compliance with the Law on Control and Regulation of Weapons, Ammunition and Explosives, the country’s armed forces said Wednesday.
Military personnel transported the weapons to the facilities of a private company engaged in the manufacturing of iron products, where they were melted down – one of the “most secure” methods to destroy firearms, according to Colonel José Blanco.
Blanco said that the majority of the destroyed weapons were used in several illicit acts, and a minority were handed over by their owners for destruction.
Blanco pointed out that the casting process is carried out because it is the most reliable method. Although there are other means of destruction such as cutting, this lends itself to scattering the weapons.
The action was witnessed by representatives of the Ministry of Defense, National Civil Police (NCP), Attorney General of the Republic (AGR) and Organization of American States (OAS), who also verified and validated the minutes prior to the destruction of weapons in the company.
Also members of the Fire Department of El Salvador were present, in a move to prevent fire accidents.
