Barcelona city officials are pressing for tougher penalties for illegal firearm possession after a series of fatal shootings in the city. Mayor Jaume Collboni and deputy mayor for security Albert Batlle have both called on the Spanish government to change the penal code, according to municipal sources.
Batlle said on Thursday that he expects legal changes to be made without delay, in line with measures used to tackle repeat offending. He said the city is waiting for a joint assessment meeting with the Catalan interior department, and noted that talks took place with the Spanish interior minister on Wednesday after a shooting on Carrer de Balmes.
The Catalan government has also backed the push. President Salvador Illa said in an interview with Ser Catalunya that his executive is considering asking for stricter penalties for illegal gun possession as soon as possible. He also said aggravated penalties for drug trafficking could be considered if needed.
Illa said the aim is to reduce criminal acts to zero, and vowed to end the incidents. Batlle, meanwhile, said the shootings have not damaged Barcelona’s international image, and argued that the city has shown it can respond decisively.
The latest shooting was the second fatal incident in Barcelona in less than a week. Three days earlier, on Sunday evening, a man was shot dead on Carrer de la Mineria, in the same area where another fatal shooting had taken place three weeks before. On 3 May, the Guàrdia Urbana arrested a minor in connection with the death of a man on Carrer de la Cera in Ciutat Vella, who had suffered serious stab wounds.
Days earlier, on the night of 18 April, a man died in hospital after trying to break up a fight between two people in Plaça de Meguidó. Barcelona and the Catalan government say they will keep pressing the Spanish government for legislative action to deter illegal firearm ownership and reduce drug trafficking. More Catalonia news