400+ guns handed over in Curaçao

More than 400 people have responded to a gun-turn-in program in Curaçao “A successful effort,” the Prosecutor’s Office OM on the island said on Monday. As of the last day on Sunday, authorities received 406 weapons. The initiative was launched after a deadly shooting at the Hato International Airport in July, that left two men dead and several wounded. Gun owners could turn in their weapons in return for 100 Netherlands Antilles guilders - approximately €40-, no questions asked. The program was part of a large scale action against crime on the island. The OM reported that especially the last weeks saw guns coming in; the department stayed open for extra hours to facilitate people who wanted to bring their weapons. The OM said that as of Monday September 1^st, illegal gun possession will be dealt with relentlessly. Curaçao registered 21 murders in 2013, eight less than the previous year, but far less than the 53 that were committed in 2003, which was a year of excesses.