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"Ramon Almonte, the Guerrero state police chief, said on Monday he will ask the federal congress to make it easier for common citizens to get permits for weapons to defend themselves.
At present, Mexico's constitution allows citizens to have one or two low-caliber guns in their homes, but they must get a permit from the Defense Department and the process is complicated. Almonte did not give specifics on how he would make it easier.
When you fight someone and at least you have a 'piece,' the person who is attacking you might think twice," Almonte said. "We cannot go on the way we are."
"Having a weapon should be a right, because the bad guys are few and we, the good guys, are many, so we can't allow ourselves to be held hostage by the few," Almonte said. "
7 killed in attacks in Mexican resort of Acapulco - CBS News (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/05/31/travel/main20067528.shtml - broken link)
stan, seems like common sense to me. Something we thankfully here in America have a right to. Tackling the root of crime is one thing, but in the mean time people should be able to defend themselves. Which is what we 2nd amendment supporters have always said.
Yeah, it's undoubtedly better for the honest Mexicans to be unarmed while the corrupt government and cartels are armed to the teeth.
I always feel as if I need to qualify my statements by being upfront about the fact that I am extremely liberal. As far as the US is concerned, I believe in gun rights but I also believe we need stricter control of guns. There should be a national, electronic registry of every gun bought and sold, every owner, etc. People should have to wait a week before buying a gun. Assault Rifles and similar weapons should not be available to the general public nor should rounds capable of firing, say, 30, bullets before reloading. But, if you go through a background check, get properly trained and certified and wait the requisite amount of time you should be able to buy handguns.
However, the gun situation in the US is totally irrelevant in the context of Mexican politics. I can sympathize with both sides when it comes to Mexico; I certainly understand the sentiment many liberals hold that more guns in the country will only lead to more crime. However, I have to say I can see an argument to be made in favor of allowing easier access to guns. The cartels already can get all the guns they need. They are better armed than the police force. Parts of the country have effectively descended into civil war or are, de facto, controlled by the cartels. The government is obviously unable to defend innocent civilians so civilians need to be able to defend themselves. It's a tricky issue.
A great idea. The cartels and other groups use the fact that they know homeowners and other private citizens can't have weapons to protect themselves.
A great first step.
In the end, the real problem stems from a few things:
1. The Mexican Government simply doesn't have the necessary capacity to fight the cartels. It needs a larger, better trained, better armed military and police force that is better paid to ensure loyalty.
2. The US's War on Drugs needs major overhaul. Legalizing marijuana would substantially diminish the revenue, and therefore power, of the cartels. Finding other ways to deal with cocaine and meth could weaken them more.
3. Economic development in Mexico needs to be spurred beyond it's current levels. The lack of good paying jobs and a strong education system in Mexico results in two things: first, it makes joining cartels more appealing because of the monetary gains one can earn, second it makes attempts to emigrate to the US more appealing.
However, in the short-term allowing regular citizens easier access to guns may be helpful. The real problems will take considerable time, effort and political-will to implement.
After the government crushed the student protests during the 1968 Olympics (which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of protestors), Mexico's gun laws tightened up dramatically, and the Mexican government became much more paranoid about guns - to the point that there is only one gun store in Mexico today, in Mexico City. Needless to say, this created a big black market in guns long before the current situation with the cartels.
I always feel as if I need to qualify my statements by being upfront about the fact that I am extremely liberal. As far as the US is concerned, I believe in gun rights but I also believe we need stricter control of guns. There should be a national, electronic registry of every gun bought and sold, every owner, etc. People should have to wait a week before buying a gun. Assault Rifles and similar weapons should not be available to the general public nor should rounds capable of firing, say, 30, bullets before reloading. But, if you go through a background check, get properly trained and certified and wait the requisite amount of time you should be able to buy handguns.
However, the gun situation in the US is totally irrelevant in the context of Mexican politics. I can sympathize with both sides when it comes to Mexico; I certainly understand the sentiment many liberals hold that more guns in the country will only lead to more crime. However, I have to say I can see an argument to be made in favor of allowing easier access to guns. The cartels already can get all the guns they need. They are better armed than the police force. Parts of the country have effectively descended into civil war or are, de facto, controlled by the cartels. The government is obviously unable to defend innocent civilians so civilians need to be able to defend themselves. It's a tricky issue.
If there's one thing I can't stand it's people droning on about a subject that they know absolutely nothing about. Please ID the assault weapon below:
If you guessed none of the above you're absolutely correct. Even the AR-15 with the grenade launcher is not an assault weapon and is legal in many states.
Ohhhhhhh.....the horror
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