Mexicans have a Constitutional right to keep and bear arms. Unfortunately, it isn’t as straightforward as ours. Exploiting Article 10, the Mexican government has severely curtailed its citizens’ gun rights (e.g., closed all private gun stores and channeled all sales through the military). The result has been chaos; some 60k dead in the last four years, thousands of people tortured and raped, millions living in fear, and the complete disintegration of the country’s public institutions. But all is not lost, yet. Some Mexicans still have the motive, means and opportunity to defend themselves from criminals and corrupt government officials. Here’s one hero’s story, re-published with permission from borderlandbeat.com . . .
Techaluta de Montenegro [above] — Three weeks ago, a businessman — the owner of a factory in the southern part of Jalisco– began to receive threatening and extortion phone calls. He reported these threats to the local, state and federal authorities, but they all downplayed his case. Today, he is recovering from a bullet wound in one leg and rebuilding assets that were burned down by an armed group in the early hours last Thursday.
Roberto’s business manufactures children’s furniture, a business located on the Guadalajara-Colima highway that is a source of employment for 150 people. He assures us that he is aware of his social responsibility.
“These days, allowing fear to defeat you is not an option, and to leave everything and abandon those who depend on the jobs one provides is not correct”, he tells EL UNIVERSAL, this man who has known about organized crime for years, after they tried to kidnap his children. Those incidents have caused him to be separated from his family, which now resides in the United States.
“I believe one must learn from experience. At that time, I learned that we need to protect ourselves and take care of the family, that’s why I installed bullet-proof glass on the windows of the house we have here at the factory.”
The businessman was operating his factory in apparent tranquility, although he was aware that violent events related to organized crime had increased in the area. Towards the end of September, a phone call changed everything.
“They knew all my movements”
“They began calling, asking for money, threatening me. They knew everything about me, about the factory, they knew details about my family, personal matters, they had details of all my activities, everything”, he recalls, still nervous.
Days went by and the harassment got worse. A week after the first phone call, he went to the local law enforcement authorities (MP; Ministerio Publico) in Sayula, a municipality near Techaluta.
“I get there and I’m told that the MP agent is busy, and, yes, I can see he’s in his office with the door open, eating his steamed tacos (tacos al vapor). He sees me only after he’s finished eating, only to give me a three-page handout, one of those, ‘What to do in the case of extortion by phone?’ handouts. Feeling helpless, I said that was not the case with me, that it was a serious matter, but he didn’t care.”
“I told him about the phone calls, that they could be traced and that those people had a lot of information about me, and the man tells me that the matter was difficult, that the local Prosecutor does not have the technology to trace calls or to investigate the case. So that’s what I got, a hand-out to defend myself with, ” he states.
After he visited the visited an official with the State of Jalisco Department of Justice (PGJEJ), his telephone caller added new warnings.
“The guy that called me said I didn’t have to ask for protection, that they were there to protect me and they gave me a phone number that only the MP had. They told me, didn’t I know there were officials who were (working) with them?”.
Disappointed, he turned to the local and the Federal Police for help, while one of his friends sought help from the 9th Infantry Battalion stationed in Sayula; both got zero response.
“There at the Battalion, they simply told me that the commanding officers were in the northern part of Mexico, in Coahuila, and that they could do nothing. Then I went to the Federal Police, and it was the same thing, that they didn’t have the staff and for me to file a complaint. The same with the Municipal Police, they didn’t have the staff and were not equipped. They left me by myself,” he complains.
All alone against the world
“I’ve got two registered pistols, a shotgun and I bought a bulletproof vest, the best investment I ever made. On Wednesday, the 10th, we arranged for the delivery of the (extortion) money and they drove me up and down the highway, until 5:00 in the afternoon, when they told me it was all fucked up.”
He continues with his narrative of what happened during the next few hours until dawn on Thursday: “I drove the night watchman to his house, then I shut myself inside the property we have here at the factory and I waited. At four in the morning I see lights outside the house and I could hear somebody was trying to come in and we got into a firefight. I don’t know how long the shooting lasted, but they only managed to hit me on the chest, which the vest covered, and one on the leg.”
After the confrontation, the attackers set fire to two buildings, offices, a warehouse and five cars, then ran off.
“This time, the police–state, municipal and MP– all showed up. There were 20 officers, all very polite, but what for?” he says.
For this businessman, fear is not a possibility: “I’m alive to talk about it. I don’t think we can surrender. It’s clear that in this country you have to be a former governor to be given any attention. Truthfully, I’m not asking for help, only for them not to interfere and to let us defend ourselves if they’re not going to help, but no, allowing fear to control you is not an option,” he concludes.
The Jalisco Justice Department (Procuraduria de Justicia de Jalisco) reported on Friday that it is investigating the incidents that took place before and during the time the furniture factory was set on fire. In addition, investigators from the Jalisco Institute of Forensic Science are already making inquiries.
The agency pointed out that the actions of the Sayula MP agent are also being investigated to determine whether his actions with respect to the complainant were deficient in any way.
after all the investigating they will take his guns or arrest him. The level of apathy and incompetence shown by the authorities before this event isn’t without reason. Either the authorities are bought by the bad guys or they’re the bad guys. If he had nailed one during the firefight and checked the body he probably would have found a badge.
Such corruption is all too common south of the border. He needs to sell his holdings and take his money and join his family in the states and start a small business here.
“He needs to sell his holdings and take his money and join his family in the states and start a small business here.”
Thus deepening the problem. Flight to the US will abandon the people that depend on that factory to survive. More patriots that love their communities need to follow his example. When the people are willing to take their safety into their own hands, you will see a reversal in the breakdown of Mexican society. The government has already shown that they don’t care one way or another. Either there will be a second Mexican Revolution, or the state will completely fail, and the cartels will take over.
The US needs to get the f’k out of the east and assist the near failed state at our back door, before the US gets sucked into regional instability.
There is almost no way for him to come legally in the next 10-15 years, which is what the the wait list is. The way our immigration system is setup, Mexico gets as many visas as a tiny country like Bhutan on the other side of the world.
Just ask the blogger Ferfal. He couldn’t wait and chose the EU instead.
Or we could, you know, take off and…
Having ready access to firearms saved him once. I fear he won the battle and will eventually lose the war. The corruption south of the border puts things in perspective: certainly the LEOs in the US aren’t perfect, but I would much rather deal with them than LEOs elsewhere. Ditto with the US government, and its level of corruption being less than Mexico. Mexico is a failed experiment, screwing up gun rights is near the top of the very long list of problems, and I don’t see an end in sight.
“Exploiting Article 10, the Mexican government has severely curtailed its citizens’ gun rights (e.g., closed all private gun stores and channeled all sales through the military). The result has been chaos; some 60k dead in the last four years, thousands of people tortured and raped, millions living in fear, and the complete disintegration of the country’s public institutions.”
Yes, the reason that there is 60k dead is because the general public have more restrictions on buying firearms – that is exactly it. Nothing to do with the drug war or anything like that, 60k dead and public services falling apart only because they now have to buy guns through the army, not from their local store. This is a new low as far as “truth” on this site is concerned, and particularly sad because usually such ridiculous statements would be from the “Armed Intelligentsia” rather than in the actual article.
So, your answer to gun violence is to NOT be able to defend yourself?
Hmmmmm doesn’t have any answers, just a blanket condemnation of gun owners in general and this site in particular.
Hmmm,
Bad guys with guns + Corrupt / ineffective governent + Disarmed Good guys = unchecked violence. That’s the concept.
If you want to police the streets of Mexico armed with your intellect, go for it. I will forward the hypothesis that such an action would be ineffective.
I think you may have misspelled “foolhardy”.
90% plus of Mexico’s problems can be solved without even firing a shot – legalise all drugs here in the US.
As for all the rest of the predictable hate attacks on me by the usual moronic suspects – my point was that the article is written VERY badly. No matter how much you fantasists imagine you keep order in the US because you have guns at home, it just isn’t true. Suggesting that 60k are dead because the public have less access to guns now is so stunningly ignorant of the situation down there that I am literally shocked Farago wrote it – I have been reading his work for years now, since the start of TTAC, and I have never seen such a sad collection of misinformed weasel words written by him.
This is supposed to be “the truth about guns”, not “make stuff up so it fits the pro gun agenda about guns”. I don’t expect the majority of you, especially jwm, to be able to even comprehend the difference though, sadly.
Proud moment for me. A grabber singled me out of the crowd for personal condemnation. I must be doing something right.
And this will probably be the only time you and I agree on anything Hmmmmmm, but I’ve been preaching to legalise drugs for years. So at least once in your life the great jwm approves. Doesn’t it make you feel all warm and fuzzy to bask in the glow of my attention?
While we’re waiting for legalization (which I support) to pass, what do you say we allow the good folks south of the border the tools to defend themselves against the bad guys?
The truth is complex here. Mexico is fundamentally corrupt, so turning to the government isn’t an option. But look at the cause of that corruption: a leftover mentality that some people are better than others. That the betters deserve to be in power. That the betters deserve to control all weapons.
That’s the kind of society that the gun control crowd wants to create in America.
I agree with you on the part about the drug war being the problem but having a gun certainly helps. You don’t think if guns were available to law abiding citizens and not just the criminals who get them from fast and furious there wouldn’t be less dead civilians. These people are poor and defenseless with a poor and corrupt government, you don’t think if the government won’t protect you should at least be able to protect yourself?
Hmmmm,
You’ve outwitted me again! I must admit that drug addicts are the most reasonable and intelligent people that I’ve ever fought with. If Starbucks sold Cocaine and Methamphetamine, we would surely see criminal activity evaporate within the US and Mexico. I’ll sell all of my means of self defense forthwith, except what I’m legally required to carry while on duty.
Accur 81, those alcoholics buying there drug of choice liquor stores didn’t cause murder rates to rise in fact they plummeted after prohibition ended. The same as murder rates won’t scream out of control if guns are free to buy like a carton of milk. Freedom is a good thing don’t be afraid of it.
Hmmmmmmm,
Make any hypothetical arguments you want. The simple facts are that Mexico has the gun control you want and 60,000 good people were still murdered in the past four years. That’s because gun control doesn’t affect the gun supply of the two groups that kill the most people: criminals and government agents!
An unarmed Mexican citizen has absolutely no chance facing armed criminals or corrupt armed government agents. An armed Mexican citizen at least has some chance — especially if additional citizens are armed and working together. Why do you still argue that gun control is good for Mexican citizens?
“Why do you still argue that gun control is good for Mexican citizens?”
This is exactly why it is impossible to have a reasoned debate with most of you on here – because you always bring out strawman BS like this. Please show me where I said gun control is good for Mexico – oh right, you can’t, because I never said that. Just for once try using the (meager) brain god gave you and actually READ WHAT I WROTE rather than what you think I wrote.
Also I am not a “grabber”, yet another strawman attack the intellectually devoid here like to use. In fact I will be getting a nice new rifle next month. I just don’t happen to think that mouthbreathing retards should be able to carry loaded weapons in public. That is all. Have whatever you like in your own home, I don’t care, I just don’t think letting the scum of society carry assault weapons around in their saggy trousers is a good idea.
Hmmmmmbug, who get’s to determine who is the scum of the earth? You…me? I stand by the right of every law abiding citizen of this country to exercise their civil rights and carry what arms they feel are needed to protect themselves.
and before you go off on that silly rant about gangbangers with AK’s and RPG’s kicking it on the corner notice I said law abiding.
Every citizen, regardless of race or religion or gender has the right to protect themselves. If the citizen breaks the law while they’re carrying, that’s why we havwe jails.
As for you being labeled a “grabber” Hmmmmmypie. I’m stealing an old line here”If it’s got feathers like a duck, quacks like a duck and has webbed toes like a duck; there’s a real good chance it’s a duck”
Hmmmm,
You can call me whatever you like, it won’t affect me but I would like to point out that you appear to be the lone person who doesn’t have a decent level of reading comprehension. If you did and actually knew a little bit of U.S.history, you would know that there is this document called the Constitution that allows certain rights like the right to bear arms. The fact they support said document here may bother you so why don’t you stay away from the site. Furthermore if you don’t like the right to bear arms, just move out of the country.
There really needs to be a FAQ somewhere for people like you Casey. Something you can read to check if what you’re about to say is incredibly stupid or not before you say it and show the world how little you know.
If YOU had any clue about the legal system in the US you would know that the constitution is not a fixed document, and that with sufficient voter backing it can be changed – this is known as an “amendment” – you might want to google that. It will also shock you to know that my vote is worth just as much as anybody elses is. If you don’t like the idea of democracy and free speech then why don’t YOU leave the country?
So we’ve formed a false opinion about you? You mean that you’ve never advocated for not allowing average citizens to have a gun? Well, thanks for acknowledging half the right named in the Second Amendment, the amendment that just enumerates the right, rather than creating it. Now, if you’d support carrying guns, you’ll be on our side.
Hmmmmmm,
Several of your comments from weeks ago were gun control talking points. And your comments on this post seriously downplay any value in an armed citizenry.
Here is the point another way. Whether they are street gangs, organized crime, or corrupt government officials controlling any given region of Mexico, they control that region because they have firearms and the citizens do not. If the citizens were armed, they would at least have the option to resist.
And before you repeat your past arguments that citizens armed only with small arms wouldn’t be able to accomplish anything, please explain why the groups that do control the various regions right now do it with small arms.
You guys still arguing with the twit from offshore who doesnt know didley squat about US laws and feels their pathological lies that gun control reduces violence should be believed because it says so, ROTFLMFAO, ROTFLMFAO, ROTFLMFAO, ROTFLMFAO.
Hey everyone, hmmm is going to be famous and submit a writ of ceritoria to the US Supreme court to first repeal the Cruishank, Miller, Heller & McDonald rulings.
Hey dont forget to repeal Haynes vs US 390, 85, 1968 & Freed 601, 1971 that ruled that felons dont have to obey 85% of existing 20,000 gun control laws as to obey them would violate their 5th amendment right of no self incrimination.
Hmmm will also then prove that the career criminals, gang members, and suiciders are not responsible for over 92% of deaths by illegal use of a firearm each year and that all 80 mil law abiding gun owners are in fact violent criminals just by being near an inanimate object.
Hmmm will also be world famous, for proving an inanimate object is in fact, a sentient being, with supernatural powers to choose its target, load, aim, and pull its own trigger. All while proving an inanimate object also has the advanced supernatural powers to use its voice or esp and force anyone near it to commit a violent act. Man the mental health professionals will be appalled and scared that hmmm has proven that those loveable, violent, schizophrenics constitute the majoirty of the public, you know, people who believe they hear voices and must obey!
Hmmm is also going to be famous for literary genius by proving the dependent clause (Well regulated…)of a complex sentence, an incomplete sentence without a clear meaning, is now the determinator of a sentence meaning after the independent clause (Shall not be infringed…), a complete sentence, able to stand on its own, and must exist for a dependent clause to have meaning, has done so for the entire existence of the english language.
Hmmmm is also going to prove a collective can exist without the individual and their individual rights first existing. Dang we are in the prescence of greatness fellas!
Then of course, hmmm is going to start a constitutional convention and change our country from a constitutional republic to a democracy, based on the vigilante vote of the mob.
Hmmm is also going to rewrite the BOR as the BON Bill of Needs, dependent on whom is in charge and what way the wind blows which day with the vote of the vigilante mob.
Hmmm will then need to go to every single historical document or dictionary in the US, England, or otherwise, and remove ANYTHING that identifies well regulated as meaning well trained, or the writings of Blackwood, or any other reference to individual rights, meaning it must destroy all copies of the existing constitution and BOR, world wide as a dictator cant have ANY evidence of individual rights remaining in existence.
Then hmmm will have to go to every single government (especially Europes) database, and cook the books to show that when gun control was implemented, that violent crime and murders went down, when the data shows it never has.
Hmmm must therefore be God as no normal mortal human could accomplish so much, just with their thoughts and beliefs.
You better get busy there hmmmm to change all those things in order for you to eliminate all those facts that prove gun control reduces violence is a pathological lie, and indidivual rights dont exist as well.
Everyone needs their Don Quixote moment in life, no shame in that. But it is rather hilarious hmmmm has chosen to tilt at a windmill that makes Don Quixote actions seem sane!
I have to say, “Hmmm…” does have a point.
Citizens’ lack of access to firearms isn’t the sole cause of Mexico’s chaos, or even the biggest one. The real cause is a government that was already hopelessly corrupt and generally inept trying to wage “war” on a trillion-dollar business that’s never going to go away no matter how illegal it is.
Law-abiding people being unable to bear arms in their own defense is part of the tragedy — proof that government can always make a bad thing worse — but not the cause of it.
These guys make there money off prohibition. End the drug war and these people can’t make money. They don’t have money they can’t buy guns and hire thugs to extort people. Getting a gun is good for the individual in Mexico but it is only to treat the symptoms of the drug war that threaten your life, the virus (besides socialism) is the drug war.
Dbeans,
I’ve seen crime with alcohol and drugs – and I’m not afraid of freedom, thanks. I’m afraid that my tax money will go for some idiots meth rehab. No thanks. There are lots of folks who argue for drug legalization on this site. Hey, go for it.
As for me, I’ve seen and dealt with crime. It will exist whether we legalize drugs or not. As a parent, I’m not overly concerned with my kids trying Mary-J. Meth, cocaine, bath slats, crack, etc. ruin minds, bodies, and human potential. Spend a little time on skid row. I’ll say that again, in case it didn’t register: spend some actual time in skid row at a major metropolitan area. Is that a low-crime place? Do you feel safe there?
How to Save Mexico From Cartels and Corruption……………. nuke it.
Y’know, we could make 7 states out of Mexico, and then The Big 0 would be prescient. Cleaning up the detritus left by Spanish colonialism will be a multi-generational all expense paid tour of the Augean stables.
Expect more govt corruption, kidnappings, violence to happen in USSA as well, as the currency inflates into hyper-overdrive.
QE^Nth makes it certain; it’s not a matter of if, but when; there is no mathematical way to stave off a currency collapse at this point, regardless of which puppet gets (s)elected the POTUS in November.
When the chief floor director for UBS Finance is warning you about hyperinflation, you better believe you should take heed:
http://kingworldnews.com/kingworldnews/Broadcast/Entries/2012/10/13_Art_Cashin.html
How to Save The United States From Cartels and Corruption :
Lets fix our problems first. Start with our drug gang problems and our own government corruption
Take a hint from “Clear and Present Danger” by Tom Clancy. If a few rounds of artie can reach ’em, use that, otherwise F117s can deliver some ordnance. Collateral damage to their family- TOUGH SHI*!
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