It is necessary to harden the penalties for carrying illegal weapons

BarcelonaUsually, toughening the Penal Code is an easy and demagogic solution to combat crime, but sometimes reality forces adjustments that are absolutely necessary if one wants to ensure safety in public spaces. This is the case with the proposal that, as learned by ARA, the Generalitat has submitted to the Spanish government, specifically to the Moncloa and also to the Ministry of Justice, to double and in some cases even triple the penalties for carrying prohibited weapons or weapons without a permit (currently the penalties range from one to three years in prison). It is also proposed to create a new criminal offense to punish the mere display of these weapons in public spaces – which is currently not punished – which has clearly intimidating effects.

All of this responds to the concern expressed by the former Director General of the Police, Josep Lluís Trapero, regarding the proliferation of both handguns, basically pistols, and bladed weapons. In recent times, significant police work has already been done to remove bladed weapons from the streets, the so-called Dagger plan, and just last year 9,000 were seized. But it is true that the current law is not sufficiently deterrent, and that is why what is being requested is to equate the Spanish Penal Code with that of countries in our environment such as France or Germany.

Our society, unlike others such as the American one, overwhelmingly rejects the normalized presence of weapons in public spaces, and in fact is not at all familiar with them. Hence the social alarm caused by shootings carried out by members of organized crime, but also by attacks with bladed weapons by local gangs, often formed by young people. Increasing penalties will not be a panacea, but at least it will serve to provide the police with greater capacity to remove from circulation potentially dangerous elements that currently act with a certain degree of impunity.

Catalonia is not an insecure country, and crime rates and, above all, homicide rates are among the lowest on the continent. Even so, the police and also the legislation must adapt to new realities. And among these there is undoubtedly the increase in the action of international mafias linked to drug trafficking that use hitmen to assassinate members of rival gangs. The Mossos fear that this modus operandi will end up spreading to local gangs as well, due to the proliferation of firearms from the different ongoing wars. That is why they have vowed to nip this danger in the bud.

Now we hope that the Spanish government finds a way to channel this reform in the final stretch of the legislature. On paper it should be easy to approve, since even the Comuns agree with it, and it would not be understandable for formations like Junts or the PP to vote against it. The Government and the Moncloa have just begun to exchange papers, but they should hurry because the electoral clock can start at any moment.