The reports stresses that 80,3% of the murders that occurred last year were perpetrated with firearms. Only 10,2% were committed with bladed weapons, while the remaining 9,3% were perpetrated with other objects, according to OIJ data.

OIJ director Randall Zúñiga explained in a press conference that any weapon sold in the country, or registered, can be subject to inspection, they can be fired and we can obtain those traces of those bullets and those barrels and the firing pin to be able to compare them with our databases.

The official acknowledged that there are many weapons in the national territory that are brought in illegally and that are handled clandestinely. However, he emphasized that this type of tracking can be useful to make comparisons within the framework of different investigations.

According to recent OIJ data, Costa Rica closed 2023 with 907 homicides, which means a rate of 17,2 violent deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, a record figure for the country.

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