Tell me if you’ve heard this one before: In the wake of a gun ban, Venezuela sees rising homicide rate.
Since April 2017, at least 163 pro-democracy protesters in Venezuela have been murdered by the Maduro dictatorship. Venezuela serves as an example of how gun prohibition can sometimes encourage gun crime.
A once-prosperous, democratic country is no longer either. What do they do to assert control over the populace?
In 2012, the communist-dominated Venezuelan National Assembly enacted the “Control of Arms, Munitions and Disarmament Law.” The bill’s stated objective was to “disarm all citizens.” The new law prohibited all gun sales, except to government entities. The penalty for illegally selling or carrying a firearm is a prison sentence of up to 20 years. Despite criticism from the democratic opposition, the bill went into effect in 2013.
The transparent rationale for passing the civilian disarmament law was to…that’s right…fight violent crime. But only two short years after disarmament . . .
In 2015, Venezuela’s homicide rate was the world’s highest, with 27,875 Venezuelans murdered that year. More broadly, the Bolivarian Republic is the only South American nation with a homicide rate that has steadily risen since 1995. In the year prior to Maduro’s disarmament initiative, the Venezuelan capital of Caracas had a homicide rate of 122 per 100,000 inhabitants, nearly 20 times the global average of 6.2.
Before the disarmament law was passed, all firearms in Venezuela were registered. That should have meant gathering up the guns would have been easy. Only a funny thing happened on the way to Bolivarian utopia. Venezuelans didn’t really want to give up their guns.
There are an estimated six million firearms (registered and unregistered) in Venezuela. However, voluntary surrenders were close to nil. For example, in 2013, only 37 firearms surrendered, while 12,603 were confiscated. More importantly, the national homicide rate rose from 73 per 100,000 in 2012 to 90 per 100,000 in 2015. The real figures are likely higher as the Maduro regime is well known for purposely undercounting crime.
And since it’s impossible to legally obtain firearms . . .
One effect of gun prohibition has been the increase of lethal violence against law enforcement. Venezuelan law enforcement are targeted specifically for their firearms with 252 officers being killed in 2015.
It’s the same old story. Authoritarian government grabs the guns in order to suppress any dissent.
In 2014 and 2017, many Venezuelans took to the streets to protest the Maduro regime’s looting of their economy and destruction of their democracy. In response, the dictatorship employed asymmetric warfare. Heavily-armed state officials and pro-government groups used lethal force against protesters who could defend themselves only with improvised arms such as rocks, fireworks, and giant slingshots that launched jars of paint and human excrement.
Those “pro-government groups” were armed by, yes, the government. Or . . .
In other words, the Maduro regime stripped Venezuelans of their right to self-defense and then transferred the confiscated firearms to its loyal thugs.
When the public is disarmed, ordinary criminals have greater impunity to rob and murder the innocent. So do criminal governments.
Of course, nothing like that could ever happen here. Because as well all know, no one wants to take away your guns.
When you outlaw guns, only outlaws will have guns.
Outlaws and government death squads.
Sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference between the two.
The death squads have badges and MRAPs/Bearcats, funded by you, the tax payer.
It will be ignored by the left. They already rely on revisionist history and fairy tales … so why wait at all when you can ignore it now?
“It will be ignored by the left.”
They will dismiss it as ‘fake news’.
To a Leftist, 168 protesters dead by the government is nothing more than the old adage of “needing to break a few eggs to make an omelette”.
After all, the security of the State is far more important than a few peons…
What’s the difference between a Capitalist fairy tale and a Communist fairy tale?
A capitalist fairy tale starts with “Once upon a time… “.
A communist fairy tale starts with “One day there will be… .
Oh, I’m using that one!
I thought the communist one started with “when the revolution comes” and some bit about ‘first up against the wall’ 😉
Yeah, I’ve hears this one before. But only hundreds of times…
🙂 Just kidding, I’m no grammar nazi… but I have noticed this correlation many, many times. Enough to seriously think that its causation, and not just correlated.
Corrected in an hour. I didn’t mean to make a big deal out of one little error. Good job though. Most sites wouldn’t care enough to bother. Another good sign from the new owners of TTAG. Seems as if they took the advice(“don’t screw it up”) seriously.
Are they going to “walk out” for 163 minutes for this?
I noticed a long time ago that once the government says the people can’t have arms the police become a target for murder. So any cop that wants the people to be disarmed is asking for themselves to become the target of gun violence. Cops won’t be able to sit in their car, eat at a restaurant or shop at a store without being shot in the head. Sometimes assassins will follow cops home and kill them.
How far gone are American cops in regards to wanting everyone but themselves disarmed? Are they ready to live a life like a Mexican, Brazilian or Venezuelan cop? A life where they can’t sit down at a hamburger place to eat, can’t walk into a gas station to safely buy a drink or sit in his car during break time.
… No. They aren’t. Its one of the many reasons why 90% of cops are against civilian disarmament, “assault weapon” bans, and “high capacity magazine” restrictions. Mostly cops can’t stand dealing with narrow minded whining victimized girly men who have no impetus to protect themselves or their families or pick up a weapon and fight a bad guy doing bad stuff. They tend to be the same people who call cops “racist pigs” and “fascists”, but also demand that only cops should have guns. You talk to those 10% of cops who are cool with it, and you’ll find tremendous overlap with cops who are: pants crappers, ladder climbers, attention whores, totalitarians, and/or (as you pointed out) cops who are generally ignorant of their own vulnerability….. and those sorts of cops are ALL liberals/Democrats.
The “Second Amendment” has been thrown about in this country so much by the POTG, politicians, paid protesters and media that when people hear that term now, their eyes just glaze over and minds and ears just shut it out. The real silent majorities who vote but just dont care one way or another about firearms are tired of it.
Those snow flakes do not know what they are doing to themselves. The politicians that are anti America know exactly what they are doing to gain power and are taking advantage of the people that dont care about it to gain votes. The anti American billionaires that are funding this movement to gain more wealth and ultimately control the government.
But when you tell someone, with even the smallest education, that your going to take away their CIVIL RIGHT’s, ANY Civil Right, everyone will just boil over at that prospect. Everyone has heard about someone having their Civil Right violated and not likely even understand which one.
The phrase “Second Amendment” has been equated as something evil for decades and with this latest push using all the shootings that can be reported that will fit their agenda that the Evil Second Amendment is gaining ground.
Even “Civil Right” has been pushed by the left, the media and some on the right as a right granted by the government rather than a Right that is bestowed by your creator. A right granted is a right that easily revoked. Even machine guns are being played on both sides as being an illegal firearm. They are not! They just fall under a higher level of scrutiny.
A new approach needs to be implemented. A simple understanding that the peoples Civil Right to anything is being violated in this country. Wake them up about a Civil Right being violated and then when asked what or which one, can be explained. Your right to own and use your own property up to and including firearms are being attacked. Your right to choose is being eliminated, slowly but surely.
I am by no means a scholar. But it is my belief that a simple approach of my, yours, their Rights are being violated may fall on concerned ears. The phrase Second Amendment is essentially dead but CIVIL RIGHTS are not.
The reason is because they do not value the constitution as the guiding document of the nation. These types are basically passive revolutionaries who have been raised to believe in a system that is not part of our way of governance. The Communists have been around ever since the 1900’s Progressive Era, and they won’t be leaving any time soon. It is what it is.
The left demonizes civil rights a lot more than you seem to acknowledge. Find me a single civil right they advocate for that is not contingent on some demographic or political factor. I think legal pot might be the *only* one they believe applies everybody, but that’s likely *only* because the stoner community sees itself as a discrete demographic group.
Honestly, the people in charge passed the gun ban because it was obvious to the people in charge that civil unrest was inevitable in the near future as Chavez’ scheme transitions into its final phase. The rate would be higher, regardless, though the murder figures would have included many more organs of oppression than they will now.
Venezuela serves as an example of how gun prohibition can sometimes encourage gun crime.
SOMETIMES?
you people. why do yall come in here and just repeat the same shit over and over??? its that the only reason you are here? to hear the echo-chamber?? i’m really starting to think this site is a magnet for idiots who love guns. must be why i don’t come here that much anymore.
Well, there are apparently also some who come here to listen to themselves who do NOT love guns. Don’t let the door hit you.
If some of the ignorant folks who believe disarming civilians is the answer, do your damned research!!! Note: Adolph Hitler disarmed citizens…MILLIONS died; Stalin disarmed citizens…MILLIONS died; Pol Pot disarmed citizens…MILLIONS died…..In 1911 Turkey established gun control. From 1915-1917, 1.5 MILLION Armenians unable to defend themselves were exterminated!! Criminals and their governments will kill with no consequences, just as they have in the past, and I for one will ALWAYS support our 2nd Amendment!! These idiots will take firearms from most of us when HELL FREEZES OVER!!!!
Machiavelli said, “When you disarm the people, you commence to offend them and show you distrust them, through cowardice or lack of confidence, and both generate hatred.” The British attempted to disarm and control the American people TWICE, and we all know how both of those attempts ended for them!!
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