A senator from Mexico has proposed a bill that would allow firearms to be carried inside private vehicles and businesses, as reported by Fusion. This bill would mirror the U.S. law, which comes as a surprise, as Mexico is not known for having a large gun culture.

Jorge Luis Preciado, who is a member of Mexico’s conservative National Action Party, is leading the country’s firearm reform and introduced the new bill that would reform the country’s constitution. The new bill, if passed, would allow cabbies, bus drivers, truckers and other transportation operators to have firearms on them to protect themselves and their merchandise. Preciado says he is introducing the bill because most citizens don’t report crimes that occur and Mexico is not doing enough to protect its citizens:

“The Mexican Constitution already allows citizens to possess certain firearms inside their homes, and we simply want to extend that right to other places…We are in the midst of a very complex situation and we are simply arguing that if the State cannot protect us then it should at least allow us to defend ourselves.”

Preciado said guns would be purchased through the country’s Defense Ministry and would have to follow strict background checks, including a database of owners’ fingerprints and DNA. But not a lot of Mexican politicians are sharing Preciado’s ideals. Fusion reported that Preciado’s recommendation for the country to mirror the U.S.’s gun laws is already seeing some pushback from rival political parties. Preciado’s own party has started to distance itself from him, which may not be a sign of a bill that will be passed.

(Via Fusion)