Leftist Riots Rekindle Gun Rights Debate in Colombia
17 May 2021
Conservative lawmakers in Colombia have found renewed interest in a proposal to significantly expand gun rights for civilians in light of a left-wing terrorism campaign entering its third week, the nation’s
El Tiempo reported on Sunday.
Left-wing mobs allegedly composed of union leaders, indigenous activists, “students,” and other social groups launched a “national strike” in late April, at the time declared against a radical tax increase proposed by self-proclaimed conservative President Iván Duque. While Duque, facing stern criticism over the proposal from conservatives as well as Marxists, announced less than a week after debuting his plan that he would no longer pursue it, the “national strike” remains in vigor. Its most prominent action consists of road blockades into major citizens that have left residents with severe shortages of basic food and fuel goods. In addition to the illegal blockades, leftists have conducted targeted attacks on police stations – firebombing them and setting officers on fire – and robberies of trucks carrying key medical supplies like antibiotics and oxygen for Chinese coronavirus patients.