The president of the Santo Domingo North Chamber of Commerce, Frank Reinaldo Quinones, told reporters that his people are willing to desist from the purchase of 1,600 sidearms and dismantle the proposed “Elite Force” if there is a government promise to face up to the delinquency problems the merchant group has been facing these past few months. As an answer, Interior and Police Minister, Franklin Almeyda Rancier assured Quinones that the government is steadfast in its fight against delinquency, not only those acts against his membership, but in the entire country, and that is why the government created the Plan for Democratic Security. Almeyda warned that the Chamber of Commerce cannot create an “Elite Force” to fight delinquency, equipped with firearms, without going through the process of obtaining a permit for each weapon. Otherwise, such a group would be no different from a gang, and would be prosecuted as such. Almeyda met with the Chamber of Commerce that has 2.600 members and has suffered an inordinate number of armed robberies, injuries and deaths that occurred during robberies. Almeyda told the group that as citizens they have the right to defend themselves, but will need to use the 700 weapons already purchased in a legal manner or suffer the consequences.