Gun culture in Mejico
Gun culture in the Mejican Empire comprises the behaviors, attitudes, ideas, and beliefs of the Mejican population about firearms and their use in different aspects of daily life and society in general. In the Mejican Empire, gun culture is deeply rooted in the population, since during colonial times and the first decades of the 19th century, the use of arms was a necessity for personal defense and territorial security.
The possession and carrying of arms is constitutionally protected, based on article ten of the Mejican Constitution, and is considered by many as a fundamental right and a symbol of freedom. In addition, the figure of the "armed man" is valued and respected, and was considered a sign of virility and bravery. In Mejican society, arms have a constant and significant presence, and also play an important role in the political arena. The debate on the possession and scope of the right to bear arms has been a recurring theme in the country's political history, and more so in recent decades.
After Brazil and Argentina, Mejico is, at the Iberoamerican level, the country with the third highest number of gun owners per capita, with more than 35% of the national population owning at least one gun, and over 60% of which declare to own more than one gun. As for the use of arms, weapons are mainly used for self-defense, hunting, and recreation, such as target shooting. There is also a considerable presence of weapons in the criminal sphere, especially in areas with high levels of violence and insecurity. In popular culture, guns also have an important presence in the media, such as in television series, literary novels, movies and video games.
Despite the restriction originally imposed by the 1972 Federal Law of Firearms and Explosives, recent modifications under the presidency of Gabriel Quadri have expanded Mejican citizens' access to carry military-grade weapons and concealed carry, but this is done exclusively under a system of licensing, training, psychometric databases, and monitoring that have been implemented for the purpose of controlling and dealing with the circulation and accessibility of firearms.
Illegal gun carrying continues to be a problem in the Mejican Empire, with numerous cases of violence and crime involving illegal weapons. Despite stricter control measures and the promotion of programs to disarm illegal possessors, access to illegal weapons remains a concern in Mejican society and politics. In 2023, more than a dozen mass shootings occurred in the Mejican Empire, each of which was committed by an illegal gun holder.