Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni has joined the Catalan government in calling for tougher penalties for illegal firearm possession and for the cultivation and trafficking of marijuana, after six fatal shootings in Catalonia this year, including four in Barcelona, two in L'Hospitalet and one in Badalona.
Speaking on Friday, Collboni said the recent gun violence has shifted attention back to public safety, even though earlier figures from the Ministry of the Interior showed thefts fell by 20% in the first quarter of the year. Any change to the penal code would need approval from the Spanish Congress of Deputies.
He said the response to repeat offenders had shown results, pointing to more police presence, stronger judicial support and the multi-offender law passed by Congress in February, which ended a two-year political deadlock, according to Collboni.
“I demand and propose to the administrations that they apply this same recipe to confront this problem with determination and resources,” Collboni told reporters. “We must modify the penal code for firearm possession and the cultivation and trafficking of marijuana.”
Collboni also welcomed similar comments made by Catalan Interior Minister Núria Parlon on Thursday, and said he regretted the “disastrous outcome” of living with organised gangs in Barcelona.
The debate now moves to Madrid, where the Spanish Congress would have to act on any reform. For more Catalonia-wide reporting, see our news coverage.
