The Real Gun Guys

Rice: US, Mexico to discuss drugs, world issues

So, what are they trying to restrict again? Assault rifles and machine guns are the same thing, and already heavily restricted. They’re not even talking about the made up “Assault Weapon” term either. So, what are they really talking about restricting here? Could they be talking about restricting the common firearms which are already in common use here in the USA? Perhaps they use different terminology than we do to define what a machine gun is.

One thing is for sure, gun laws in Mexico are onerous when compared to gun laws in the USA, with .22 being the highest caliber weapon most Mexican citizens (with certain exceptions for rural residents) are allowed to own. In addition, until 1998, if you were caught entering Mexico with as little as one round of .22lr in your vehicle, even on accident, you could be sentenced to prison for 5 to 30 years.

“The exemption does not apply for military weapons or calibers - which by Mexican law means any handgun above .380 in caliber, as well as a wide variety of rifles.”

See David Kopel’s article on Mexican Gun Laws here.

Rice: US, Mexico to discuss drugs, world issues

By NESTOR IKEDA
Associated Press
October 23, 2008

PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico (AP) — Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says she hopes to discuss not just drug trafficking, but a host of world issues with Mexican Foreign Relations Secretary Patricia Espinosa in meetings at this Pacific coast resort.

Rice, who arrived in Puerto Vallarta late Wednesday for a one-day visit to Mexico, suggested that the seat Mexico won last week on the U.N. Security Council makes it likely that more than just bilateral concerns will be discussed.

But U.S. officials acknowledged that talks are also expected to touch on the violent drug cartel turf battles that have hit Mexico in recent years, and the role played in that violence by weapons smuggled into Mexico from the United States.

The United States is expected to begin delivering soon the first installments of the $400 million in anti-drug aid for Mexico approved by Congress earlier this year as part of the Merida Initiative.

Rice said the Bush administration was still working with Congress on “letters of agreement” to implement the Merida Initiative provisions “very quickly.”

“This is a national security priority for Mexico and national security priority for the United States,” she said. “I think it is urgent because of the security situation.”

Hundreds have died in gangland-style killings in Mexican border cities in recent months, and U.S. officials acknowledge that some cartels have started crossing the border to kill and kidnap in U.S. territory.

Rice said she is concerned about the border violence and drug trafficking in Central America.

Mexico has criticized the slow pace of disbursement of the U.S. aid, and Assistant Secretary of State Thomas Shannon acknowledged “it is a very bureaucratic process.”

Mexico has pressed — and is expected to continue to press — the United States to do more to stop the flow of weapons into Mexico, including assault rifles and machine guns used in thousands of cartel-related killings each year.

“There are very specific issues in the bilateral agenda,” Rice said. But since Mexico is a member of the Security Council, “there are also broad issues we can talk about with a global interest.”

“Much of this meeting is forged on the great friendship they developed,” Shannon said, adding that the dialogue was to begin Wednesday night at a dinner held in Puerto Vallarta’s balmy Pacific breezes.

Rice and Espinosa met behind closed doors Wednesday and were to give a joint statement on Thursday.

On the plane prior to arriving in Mexico, Rice said the talks also would focus on “working together in the development agenda, trade agenda, law enforcement and security.”

“It is a very broad relationship,” she said.

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Philadelphia to Victimize Victims of Gun Theft

Excerpted from The Bulletin:

Beginning Aug. 8, Philadelphia gun owners who do not report missing firearms within 24 hours of losing them will face fines up to $1,900 and up to 90 days in prison upon a second offense, according to a controversial new gun ordinance intended to take illegal guns off the street.

“The bottom-line is this: We will do whatever is necessary in this city to end the gun violence in Philadelphia, to keep dangerous firearms out of the hands of those that use them to kill fellow Philadelphians,” Mayor Michael Nutter said yesterday at a City Hall news conference.

Mr. Nutter encouraged all gun owners to take an inventory of their firearms and if any are missing or stolen to call 911.

“Let’s be very clear, very direct: if you lose your piece, call the police,” Mr. Nutter said.

A National Rifle Association spokesman called the new Philadelphia ordinance “a bogus attempt to make people feel safer” because it “further victimizes a victim of theft.”

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Unrest in the Magic Kingdom

Disney claims they are exempt from the Florida law allowing employees to keep a gun in their car on company property. Now a security guard is willing to risk his 13 year career at the Happiest Place On Earth to challenge this claim.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — A Disney security guard told Eyewitness News he’s okay with being fired rather than go to work unprotected. Disney claims it’s exempt from a new state law that allows employees to keep handguns in their cars.

The employee Eyewitness News talked with is not concerned about safety at the park. He’s concerned about a rise in crime everywhere else.

As a security guard, Edwin Sotomayer works strange hours and says he has a right to feel safe when he is commuting to and from the theme parks. He has been a Disney security guard for more than 13 years, but he’s willing to lose his job to stand up for his right to bring a gun to work.

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The Best States for Gun Owners

Here is a listing of the best states for gun owners to live in, ranked in order of best to worst (as in golf, a smaller score is better). The list is based on the total score only. I stole this data from the Brady Bunch and it reflects the inverse of their rankings (PDF) for 2007. Hey, who’d have thunk it? It turns out they’re good for something after all.

With the exception of Wyoming and Montana not being on the top of the list, there’s no real surprises here. And as I expected, California is dead last.

State          Score

Kentucky        2
Oklahoma        2
Alaska          4
Louisiana       4
Missouri        4
North Dakota    4
Utah            4
Mississippi     5
Arizona         6
Arkansas        6
Idaho           6
New Mexico      6
South Dakota    6
West Virginia   6
Kansas          7
Tennessee       7
Florida         8
Indiana         8
Montana         8
Georgia         9
Texas           9
Vermont         9
Nebraska       10
Minnesota      11
Nevada         11
New Hampshire  11
South Carolina 11
Wyoming        11
Maine          12
Wisconsin      12
Ohio           13
Alabama        15
Connecticut    15
Colorado       16
Iowa           16
Oregon         18
Virginia       18
Washington     18
North Carolina 20
Deleware       22
Michigan       22
Pennsylvania   26
Illinois       28
Hawaii         43
Rhode Island   47
New York       51
Maryland       53
Massachusetts  54
New Jersey     63
California     79

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Charlton Heston vs. Barack “Shaft” Obama

Found here.

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