Mexico seizes 8,000+ firearms, expands voluntary gun‑exchange program

The government of Baja California announced that more than 8,000 firearms have been seized during the current administration through operations, investigations and coordinated actions among federal, state and municipal authorities. Governor Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda reported that 8,899 magazines and 252,000 cartridges were also confiscated, and cited U.S. data indicating that 75% of weapons seized in Mexico originate from the United States. The state highlighted the voluntary disarmament initiative “Sí al Desarme, Sí a la Paz,” which has destroyed 532 weapons and rendered 2,910 more unusable under the program.

In the city of Acuña, the municipal government launched the 2026 Gun‑Exchange Campaign, led by Mayor Emilio de Hoyos Montemayor and supported by the military and the Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional. The campaign offers financial incentives for citizens to turn in firearms, ammunition and related materials, aiming to remove weapons from homes and improve public safety.