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Buying a Handgun in Costa
Rica is Easy
How easy is to buy and carry a
handgun in Costa Rica? Not too
difficult, as we found.
To purchase a handgun, one has
to be over the age of 18, have
no criminal record and have a
certificate of attending a
course on handling handguns.
However, in a country where you
can, for a fee, buy a drivers
license, it may just be that
simple to by a handgun permist
as well.
A Telenoticias (Channel 7 news)
news team set out to find out
just exactly how easy it is and
found a seller in Cariari de
Pococí (Guapiles area) that can
provide the necessary
documentation including a
background check by the
Ministerio de Seguridad Pública
(MSP), which only the MSP can
issue.
The news team made the
arrangements by telephone and
with 25.000 colones (us$50.90)
in hand met the man named Jorge,
obtaining the documents and
wanting informaton how the
illicit business works.
The Telenoticias reporters, in a
matter of minutes had the
required documents and could now
buy a handgun from a "legal" gun
dealer. However, they were not
able to get much information
other that one person contacts
another and then another and the
documents are delivered. Names
were not revealed, just that the
main contact is in San José,
where it is assumed they have
contact in some government
agency.
Jorge was only a middleman and
the head of the organized group
was never identified. The
documents were exactly the same
as the one issued by the
Ministerio de Seguridad Pública.
Many foreigners own handguns in
Costa Rica. For those who cannot
provide the necessary backgroung
check and the does not have the
handling certificate not being
able to speak Spanish or just
not bother, there is the black
market.
Handguns on the black market can
range anywhere from us$500 to
thousands, depending on the type
for new handguns and much less
for previously owned. To access
this market, one only needs a to
known someone who knows someone
else that will send another to
close the deal,
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