In the United States, police have collected nearly 2,000 weapons, including a rocket launcher, as part of a buy-back program aimed at reducing violence in the eastern city of Baltimore. The three-day operation last week was announced in a bid to rid the streets of illegal weapons in a city where the number of homicides has surpassed 300 for the fourth year in a row.<br />''<br />''<span style="color: #222222;">Authorities offered 25 dollars for large magazines, 100 dollars for handguns and rifles, 200 dollars for semi-automatic rifles and 500 dollars for automatic rifles, promising anonymity to those who took part in the amnesty.</span><br />