Traumatic pistols, the dangerous “toy” that can kill and is freely marketed in Colombia

In the showcases of a shopping center they are displayed as if they were simple toys. They are pistols that are advertised as non-lethal or ‘traumatic’ and burst onto the streets of Colombia to the point of becoming a safety concern.

In the last decade, hundreds of thousands of these weapons were legally imported and sold without restrictions in a country that has been experiencing more than 60 years of armed conflict.

In the middle of commercial premises in western Bogota appear behind glass identical replicas of Glock, Storm Beretta, CZ and Heckler / Koch pistols. To acquire them it is only necessary to present an identity document.

They are also sold on the internet. One of the portals that offer them certifies: “Too easy. You only need to have the money (money) and citizenship card ”.

Some use them for safety, others for sport shooting. But Its criminal use to frighten the public due to its resemblance to a traditional weapon makes the authorities uneasy.

The government is preparing a decree that will impose the same restrictions on traumatic pistols that apply to firearms.

The only difference with a conventional pistol is that their bullets are not lead, but rubber or rubberexplains security expert Orlando Carrillo to AFP. “In their functionality they are identical, the two eject a projectile from a primer, a gunpowder.”

In the wrong hands and fired within 15 meters into soft tissue or an artery, such ammunition can “produce death”. “The injuries that can occur (…) are very similar to those of a firearm”, Carrillo details.

They look, weigh and detonate like a real gun, confirmed the AFP at a shooting range.

“Blow it up!”

On the night of August 23, a bullet from a traumatic weapon exploded the right eye of Luis Rodríguez Mojica, a 35-year-old mechanic who lives in a popular neighborhood in the capital.

Two men accosted him on a motorcycle to steal him. “Blow it up, blow it up! (Shoot him) He’s going to get away! ”one shouted. His cornea “was pulverized by the impact,” evokes Rodríguez. Now cover your eye with a patch.

Around 1.5 million ‘non-lethal’ weapons have been ‘legally traded’ in Colombia, calculates the independent foundation Ideas for Peace (FIP), which in 2020 warned about the need to regulate its trade.

The chaos in the market exploded into “a situation out of control,” sums up a former police officer and manager of a Bogotá shooting club who asked to remain anonymous.

Since 2014 they are the most imported in the legal market, largely from China or Turkey. In 2009, 8,585 arrived in the country and by 2020 the figure rose to 190,706 (an increase of 2,220%). Costs range from $ 130 to $ 410.

According to the mayor of Bogotá, Claudia López, traumatic weapons “are being sold like toys”, but “they are being an intimidating factor” of crime.

The authorities do not have clear figures on deaths or injuries from traumatic weapons. Instead, they have detected modifications to make them lethal.

The tip of the bullets can be replaced by lead. It is also possible to load them with ammunition that a traditional weapon would normally use, running the risk of the barrel exploding. “It’s easy to replace rubber bullets with lead bullets,” confirms the shooting range manager.

The number of victims of traumatic weapons can be camouflaged among the more than 500 homicides with firearms per year registered by the city of eight million people. “They are brought to the country as toys, but they are very dangerous toys,” emphasizes Carrillo.

In the absence of strict regulation, a criminal caught with such a pistol is not exposed to any judicial sanction.

“Black market”

The new decree, which is pending approval, establishes stricter conditions for the purchase and a registration with the competent authorities to monitor who is in the hands of traumatic weapons.

The Defense Ministry estimates that more than 19,000 have been seized since 2018 for “inappropriate use” (14 daily).

But the merchants of the sector already claim: “The government runs the risk of acting drastically” in its desire to prohibit and end the business, protests Diego Villalba, an importer since 2014.

For the IFJ, its control is “a crucial issue for peace and the reduction of violence” in Colombia, a country of 50 million inhabitants where at least 4.2 million firearms circulate illegally, according to the Small Arms organization. Survey.

It is also worrying that the regulations give rise to the birth of a “new black market” for a state with historical difficulties in controlling the arms monopoly.

“Criminals will not care about the law, they will continue to use these weapons that now abound”And they are almost impossible to track, Carrillo said.

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