I lived in Mexico City, and then a small place in Vera Cruz state, 40 years ago.  It was a great experience, though even then there were issues we don’t normally see here.  At least in those days it was basically institutional corruption, and any problems could be “fixed” with a few pesos.  Today they talk about the “broken windows” theory of law enforcement.  Stop the small stuff early, and it blocks the big stuff.  I always saw that corruption as the equivalent of broken windows, and wondered where it would eventually lead.

Very bad article with major firearms inacuracies.  Fully automatic AK-47 assault rifles are not for sale in the United States.  Nor are they “high-powered”.  Grenades are destructive devices and they also are not for sale and certainly not at gun shows.

This is being used to gin up support for a return to the “assualt weapon” ban that expired in 2004…with an additional ban on owning handguns that accept a clip.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=6960824&page=1

And it is filled with the usual lies and propaganda.  A dealer at a gun show must do all the background checks and comply with all federal regulations.

On the bright side, if the current administration is successful with their anti-American putsch against basic liberty…they will repeat the mistake Clinton made and lose both houses of congress (1994 redux).

For those inclined to support the ban, I would draw your attention to the Swiss model of gun ownership and remind all that this is what the founders of our nation had in mind for the United States and that it is a viable model in a contemporary European nation.  It has been a viable model in the United States.  Why this assault on individual freedom and constitutional rights?  Are those that were incensed by the infringement on our liberties and freedoms by the Patriot Act equally incensed by this proposed infringement on our liberties and freedoms by this new attack against the 2nd Amendment?

An attack that is supported by deliberate falsehoods.  When Josh Sugarman decided to go after a ban on semi-automatic firearms (that’s one shot per pull of the trigger) he stated that because people were so ignorant about firearms he would portray them as machine guns (the weapon fires many shots per trigger pull until the trigger is released or the weapon runs out of ammunition) and through this misdirection, repeated over and over (the big lie), get the ban that way.

Br. Michael,

You are so right!  This propaganda piece is fraught with lies!  You can’t buy grenades in the US and there is a severe restriction on purchasing machineguns.  One must pay an extra $200 tax (last I knew) and the gun is registered with BATF.

If they want to restrict the illegal flow of arms to Mexico…FINISH THE WALL!  The guns are not walking across the border on their own.  They are being taken across the border by people…people that are breaking the law to cross the border in the first place.  Control the border and the problem will about disappear!

Those advocating open borders or on behalf of illegal migration take note:  there are serious consequences to that position including illegal drug and gun trafficking and the abuse and degradation of laborers that have no legal status.

this piece is a cog in the wheel of a PR offensive:
http://www.riehlworldview.com/carnivorous_conservative/2009/02/uh-oh-connect-these-links.html

S. T. O’N ought to know that there is a powerful campaign in Switzerland right now to take weapons out of homes and store them in armories.  Too many homicides and suicides, it seems.  See:
http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/02/24/europe/swiss.4-437154.php

Mexico is sinking into chaos.  Mendez, a young journalist, was killed this week while attending a feria in his hometown. He was shot 4 times in the back of the head. He leaves behind his young widow and their infant.  He is the 47th Mexican journalist to be murdered since 2005.  Read about it here: http://college-ethics.blogspot.com/2009/02/mendez-47th-journalist-murdered-in.html

President Obama’s first meeting with a foreign head of state was with President Calderon of Mexico.  For Calderon, whose right hand man had just been killed, the meeting was especially timely.  Calderon wanted to address the issues and receive some assurance of cooperation from Obama.  I got the impression that for Obama is was a photo op with lots of hand shaking, but he wasn’t ready to talk about anything serious.  Clearly Calderon’s hopes were not met.

Hi Terry Tee,

If the article you cited is accurate, and someone commits suicide with a firearm “nearly every day” in Switzerland, that works out to 0.004% of the population (at one each day, 365 days a year).  Of the 1,378 deaths due to “self harm” per year in Switzerland, over 2/3rds are done by means other than a firearm, despite nearly UNIVERSAL firearm ownership and where the firearms are capable of full automatic fire.
http://www.nationmaster.com/country/sz-switzerland/mor-mortality

Now don’t forget, assisted suicide is legal under Swiss law. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/02/12/60II/main540332.shtml

Of the people killed in Switzerland, twice as many are killed with bladed weapons than are killed with firearms.  There are five times as many assaults with bladed weapons there than with firearms.

The “powerful campaign” you mention has garnered about 120,000 signatures on a petition.  That’s about 1.5% of their population.  Ooooh, scary powerful campaign!  At 1.5%, they are more likely the lunatic fringe.

So…what’s your point?

11, I looked at some of the videos at the link you posted.  They claim that they want to ban “assault weapons” which are semi-automatic rifles (one shot per trigger pull) yet they show M60 machine guns which are not generaly available for legal sale to civilians.  These are weapons that are only routinely available to the federal or state governments.  Some of the other film clips show grenades which are also not available on the civilian market.

It would appear that what is going on is criminal gun running of some sort.

I got the impression that for Obama is was a photo op with lots of hand shaking, but he wasn’t ready to talk about anything serious.  Clearly Calderon’s hopes were not met.

Yes, that will be a common realization in the coming months—if not weeks—for the residents of this country, too. All the talk of “hope” and “change” gave way to “business as usual”.