The idea that the carnage in Mexico is at least partially linked to that country’s gun control laws never occurred to me. Until I read this at cnjonline.com: “Another factor, many argue, are strong anti-gun laws that have left law-abiding Mexicans largely unable to defend themselves. With little opposition from the citizenry and a military that at times has been overmatched, the drug runners have been able to operate with relative impunity.” So what are Mexico’s gun control laws, then? davekopel.com has this to say about that . . .
Notwithstanding their constitutional right, arms possession in Mexico is severely restricted by a wide network of laws. Article 160 of the Federal Penal Code authorizes government employees to carry guns. Article 161 requires a license to carry or sell handguns. Article 162 provides penalties for violations, and also bans the stockpiling of arms without permission. Article 163 states that handguns may only be sold by mercantile establishments, not by individuals. Further, handgun carry permit applicants must post a bond, must prove their need, and must supply five character references.
The most important gun laws are contained in the Federal Law of Firearms and Explosives. It establishes a Federal Arms Registry controlled by the Ministry of National Defense. Both the federal and state governments are required to conduct public information campaigns to discourage all forms of weapons ownership and carrying . . .
Title Two of the Federal Law of Firearms allows possession and carrying of handguns in a calibers of .380 or less, although some calibers are excluded, most notably .357 magnum and 9mm parabellum.
According to USA Today, there are “reams of rules: how much ammunition they can buy each month; where they can take the gun; who [sic] they can sell it to.” Also worth noting: Mexico’s private citizens can only purchase weapons from the Defense Ministry; the government shuttered all of the country’s privately owned firearms stores. Today, there’s only one gun store in Mexico City, a conurbation of 21.2 million or so souls.
Check this: Mexican gun control advocates see the country’s descent into lawlessness as proof that the U.S. needs gun control laws as strict as theirs—not that Mexico needs to let its citizenry arm itself.
“If the United States had a system like ours, we wouldn’t have so many problems here in Mexico,” Agustin Villordo, 27, of Puebla said as he shopped for a hunting rifle . . .
“I would dare say that Mexico has some of the strictest regulations about gun ownership in all the world, and we’re right next to a country … that has some of the easiest ones,” said Lt. Col. Raúl Manzano Vélez, director of the military’s civilian gun sales. “That creates a huge vacuum between the countries and feeds weapons trafficking.”
It’s a view sure to be echoed by American gun control campaigners.
“If the United States had a system like ours, we wouldn’t have so many problems here in Mexico,…. I'm in AWE. That was about the stupidest thing I've heard since Bush was in office. Riddle me this……Why is it that in border towns in texas the murder rate is 100x less on the U.S. side? Proven stat. Five miles into Mexico and you are 100 times more likely to get killed. The answer is a forgone conclusion. We have guns. And the citizens of Texas in particular have BIG "F-ing" GUNS and all the bad guys know it. But for the sake of argument lets say we did have laws like Mexico. Where would the Drug Kingpins get there Gold plated AK's from? Oh, yeah they would import them from other countries like they currently do now. So the US side would suffer the same mass murders as Mexico. That sounds like a plan I would sign up for. Right after hell freezes over.
If we make that horrfying change here, in america. No problem! the cartels will arm themselve with chinese smuggle weapons. But then what if it too expensive? then no problem! the cartel will buy cheaper weapon but with the same caliber from the taliban arm smuggler/and or another mid eastern extremist group! so yay for gun control, making the citizen unable to defend themselve from terrorist and criminals for 40 years!
It blows my mind that even with the lawlessness that goes on in Mexico, the anti-gunners still can't make the connection that the mexicans have huge problems not because the United States has guns, but because the mexicans do not. My wife have relatives in Juarez and I am scared to death when I go down there.
Mexico needs to stop trying to arm its Army, and ALLOW the citizens to defend themselves. In the end, it is a persons right to defend themselves, and the government is literally tying their citizens hands behind their backs, and allowing criminals to do as they wish with the citizens. Once the citizens have gotten rid of the "plague", then the government can come back in and put their ridiculously strict gun laws back into place. right now mexican citizens can't afford to feed themselves, let alone buy an expensive handgun, rifle, ar15 etc… to protect themselves from the well provisioned drug cartels, that feed themselves on the Anti drug laws that give them the HUGE pocket books to protect their product. HUMMM lets look at Alcohol prohibition- big money, government couldn't control it, rampant black market, innocents killed daily…. the FIX- Legalize it… gee, what a concept…. Even an idiot could see this, yet our government is making a KILLING on it with taxation to fight drugs, the seizure of property and the taxation to incarcerate its citizens, that it will NEVER let go of that Teet!
Mexico is corrupt.
Aside from having officials who DEMAND bribes, they leave their citizens defenseless. Their “strict” gun laws are only being followed by, well, LAW-ABIDING citizens. If the US had strict gun laws, only the lawful would abide by them.
That doesn’t stop the drug cartels from acting with impunity.
A Mexican rancher just made the news – a rare example of what happened when the cartels went up against an ARMED CITIZEN. They murdered him, but they paid the price of 4 dead and 2 injured and captured.
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