rumors

NaeNae55

There has been a lot in the news lately about the drug wars in Mexico and how they are effecting Americans. Yesterday I heard rumors that the wars had spread into the US. Not that you could walk down the street and see dead bodies, but that cars were being stolen right and left. One of the cities mentioned was Phoenix.

My experience tells me this is whispering gone amok, but often these kinds of stories are based on some true fact that got twisted.

So, have any of you heard this type of stuff? Can our members from AZ and TX please chime in and clear things up for me?

Paul in Cannon Beach

Nae, our AZ members would post something but they are all hiding under their desks.

ritaanz

Paul Paul Paul There is no need to hide. The guns are loaded.

Paul in Cannon Beach

Oh yeah, I forgot you were from there Rita. Why dont you have this under control yet?

Brad Forrister

I read an article about it in Newsweek, so must be more than whispers.
Here's a link:
[url]http://www.newsweek.com/id/189246[/url]

It cites not only Phoenix, but Atlanta and North Carolina.

Paul in Cannon Beach

I just read a note from a facebook friend STRONGLY urging people not to go to Tijuana. This will be very difficult for a group of people I know who just launched a short term Bible school in Tijuana. This fall will be their first year. Their target (poor choice of words) audience will be American college kids seeking a one year short term Bible training experience in an interesting location.

NaeNae55

I have heard a lot on Waco, TX and Tijuana, and I also heard the state department warned against Americans traveling to Mexico over the spring break. But if our cities are under assault too it is getting really scary out there. Why don't we check vehicles going out of the country, and not just into it? Obviously we are partially responsible when we allow American guns to be sold to Mexican drug cartels. If we stop the cash and guns going south, won't that help in the fight against these cartels?

ritaanz

This morning's paper told the story of a gun dealer in Phoenix who was arrested for selling high powered guns to strawbuyers,who, in turn, sold them to the drug cartels, The judge threw the case out saying the procecution did not make their case. They had proof that over 700 guns from that gun shop were used in killings and kidnappings but..... the strawbuyers were eligible to purchase guns in Arizona. Poof!

joannie

I'm probably going to get the NRA advocates down on me for saying this, but here goes anyway. I am all for people owning guns such as shotguns, simple rifles and small pistols for sport and for personal protection in the home, but these high-powered rifles, machine guns, etc. that can be converted to fully automatic weapons do not need to be sold to the public. Those types of weapons were designed for one purpose only - to kill as many people as possible in the shortest time span possible. Can anyone give me a good reason that those types of guns should even be produced?

ps - I own a rifle, a shotgun and a pistol.

KSR6450

I am with you 100%. I took a gun class with my co-workers last year to try and get a carry permit. I left when we got to the shooting part. Blanks were okay but once we started using live ammo I knew if anyone was going to shoot someone it would be me.

I can think of no reason these guns should be in the hands of civilians. And shame on that judge in Phoenix.

NaeNae55

[QUOTE=ritaanz;715336]This morning's paper told the story of a gun dealer in Phoenix who was arrested for selling high powered guns to strawbuyers,who, in turn, sold them to the drug cartels, The judge threw the case out saying the procecution did not make their case. They had proof that over 700 guns from that gun shop were used in killings and kidnappings but..... the strawbuyers were eligible to purchase guns in Arizona. Poof![/QUOTE]

I thought RICO was supposed to take care of these kinds of situations. Perhaps the prosecutor did not bring the right kind of charges. If the judge let them go, someone better change the law fast so we can stop this kind of thing.

Back to my original point, if we had border guards checking what was going out, a lot of these gun sales would be confiscated.

Tony Kessler

Nae, here is a new article on the subject from today's NY Times:

[URL]http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/23/us/23border.html?th&emc=th[/URL]

It mentions your points about the need for more border guards and equipment that will detect gun shipments leaving the country. tk

NaeNae55

Thanks Tony.

It looks like things are really bad out there. As usual, you shut down or harm an illegal operation (Columbian Cartel) and they find a new way. Apparently this new way is more violent than the last one. And the head guy gets on the Forbes wealthiest list.

I hope the laws are changed quickly enough, and we get enough man power soon enough, to prevent the truly innocent from being harmed.

Tony Kessler

All I've read about the drug cartels flexing their muscle in the U.S., especially in AZ, reminds me of the depressingly brutal, grimly realistic cable TV series, "Breaking Bad." Anyone else watched it? tk

Tony Kessler

Nae, some help appears to be on the way. tk

[url]http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/25/us/politics/25border.html?_r=1&th&emc=th[/url]