Houston, Texas - In an unprecedented act of protest, the Caravan for Peace will destroy an AK-47 assault rifle and a revolver purchased at a gun show and donated by U.S. organizations for this act of protest.
Considered by Caravan organizers to be one of the most important acts during the entire tour, it represents an act of protest against one of the most important traditions of American culture: gun ownership.
The two weapons were acquired at the Houston Convention Center where a market is held for the sale of all kinds of pistols, machine guns, knives, bullets and accessories.
The assault rifle was donated by LEAP [Law Enforcement Against Prohibition], an organization of former police officers and soldiers who support drug legalization. The pistol, a .38 Magnum revolver, was donated by a woman who acquired it without the papers required for official identification.
The destruction of the weapons will be carried out by the poet Javier Sicilia, and the parts will be divided among five of the victims traveling with the Caravan whose relatives were killed by firearms.
Each part will be encapsulated in a cement block and carried on the Caravan to Washington, D.C. [At the nation's capital], they will be deposited somewhere to protest the transfer of arms to Mexico, where they are used by organized crime.
Sicilia has stated that they [Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity] are not against the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which permits the purchase of arms for security and defense, but that stricter measures and controls be established so that organized criminal gangs may not benefit [from the ready sale of arms in the U.S.].
August, 26, 2012
José Gil Olmos / Proceso
