Costa Rica Tops Nicaragua in Number of Deaths by Firearms
An report by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), of which Costa Rica is a member state, reveals that Costa Rica surpasses neighbouring Nicaragua in the number of deaths by firearms.

Costa Rica lists at number 16, while Nicaragua is at 18 in a list of 57 countries. The report is based on data of a study compiled by the Organización Mundial de la Salud between 2000 and 2003.

According to the study, 4.87 per 100.000 habitants die at as a result of a firearm, while in Nicaragua the number is 4.51 per 100.000 habitants.

The study includes all deaths resulting from the discharge of a firearm, that includes murder, accidents and suicides.

The results are alarming when one considers that Nicaragua is a country with an army and a history of armed conflicts, while Costa Rica counts with no army and is knwon for it's "pura vida".

And, Nicaragua has a population more than 5.4 million, while Costa Rica sits at 4.4 million - 1 million less.

Costa Rican officials, including Rogelio Ramos, Ministro de Seguridad Pública, are surprised at the results of the report and are keeping quiet, not offering any opinion, on the study.

This week, the Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo (PNUD), called for an alert in El Salvador, where nine people die each day, victims of violence. El Salvador is on the UNESCO list of countries studied.

The study indicates that 10 of the countries with the highest indicator are in the Americas.

Venezuela takes the head of the UNESCO report, with 34.3 deaths for every 100.000 habitants, followed by Brazil, Puerto Rico, Uruguay and Ecuador.

On the other extreme end, the countries with the least number of deaths by firearms is Cuba, Perú and Canada.

Since 2003 the Ministerio de Salud (Health Ministry) has been working to reduce the number of deaths and injuries resulting from firearms.

According to Salud, since 2003, more than 200 people every year in Costa Rica are murdered or take their own life using a firearm. And according to statistics kept by the Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ), firearms accounted for more than 50% pf all murders and 25% of all suicides between 1991 and 2000.

More recent data shows that in 2004, of the 240 murders registered in the country, 141 (58.8%) were by firearm.

At the Dirección de Control de Armas y Explosivos, an average of 620 firearm permits are issued each month, the majority being for a caliber 38 handgun.

During 1989 and 2005, 81.362 firearms were registered, while only 18.332 have been confiscated by police during the same period.

Each day, more and more Costa Ricans are feeling insecure in their homes as well as outside and are opting more and more to own and carry a firearm. Part of the insecurity stems from an increasing distrust  in that the police can protect them.

It is estimated that 10% of all Costa Ricans possess a firearm.