There is one legal firearm for every 20 people in Costa Rica. Each year, more and more Ticos, in the army-less nation, feel the need for this type of protection. Some chose to own guns for sport.
For others, owning guns is part of family tradition. Those who grew up on farms often see carrying a gun the same as carrying a machete. It’s not uncommon for a father to teach his sons how to use a gun as a tool and his daughters how to protect themselves with a gun.
The La Garita Polygon is a shooting range that used to be used almost exclusively by police. It has since seen more athletes and people practicing to get a license using the facilities.
A study done by the School of Statistics of the University of Costa Rica showed that 53.6% of the population considered that insecurity in the country was high or very high. This is interesting because that percentage is higher than the self-perceived insecurity in countries like Honduras, where there is a homicide rate of 59.1 per 100,000 inhabitants. The homicide rate in Costa Rica is 11.8.
