Note: Oped/rant: Inadvertently points out the failures of gun
control, and the desire of people worldwide to be able to defend
themselves and families. Self Defense is a God given Human Right.
It can be also argued, that it is a Natural Right, of all species,
even animals are allowed to have and use it.
As reported before here, Mexican media polls, especially in northern
Mexico, have shown over 80% support for citizen gun ownership.
Unlike so many other North Americans, Mexicans don't seem to have a
fear or phobia of firearms. It is not a taboo to the Mexican
people. Like here in the U.S., citizen firearm ownership is a taboo
to corrupt politicians and bureaucrats.
The series of corrupt Mexican governments, especially the PRI who
ruled for 70 years, made it virtually impossible for honest citizens
to be able to defend themselves. The PAN period of the last 11 years
has failed to correct that disastrous problem. Not only U.S.
politicians that are totally out of touch, and look at the people,
especially armed citizens with fear and loathing.
BTW, many of the U.S. made firearms come to the gangs courtesy of two
governments. The U.S. and Mexican. The U.S. government has through
aid programs, exported thousands of firearms and other military
supplies to Mexico over the past few years. Much of which seems to
end up with the drug gangs. Then of course the U.S. BATFE fast &
furious operation which delivered weapons directly to the gangs. Not
to forget the U.S. DEA helping get millions of dollars of profits of
the drug trade back to the cartels, funding even more corruption and
munitions.
The Mexicans of course have their own problems with corruption. For
example, Mexican customs seldom finds anything coming south. Over
the years their main purpose has seemed to be robbing Mexican
citizens coming south for the holidays.
Those of us actually living here in the SW of the USA, continue to
believe, strongly, that securing the border will certainly mitigate
many of the problems.
The LeBaron family has made mention in AZMEX reports over the years.
AZMEX has also relayed reporting on the Romney family in the area.
Law-Abiding Mexicans Take Up Illegal Guns
by John Burnett
January 28, 2012
Weekend Edition Saturday
[8 min 16 sec]
http://www.npr.org/2012/01/28/145996427/mexican-community-takes-taboo-
stance-on-guns
Police stand near the scene of a murder in Juarez, Mexico. The
country suffers from drug cartel-related violence despite some of the
most restrictive gun laws in the world.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Police stand near the scene of a murder in Juarez, Mexico. The
country suffers from drug cartel-related violence despite some of the
most restrictive gun laws in the world.
January 28, 2012
In Mexico, where criminals are armed to the teeth with high-powered
weapons smuggled from the United States, it may come as a surprise
that the country has some of the most restrictive gun laws in the world.
Law-abiding Mexicans who want a gun to defend themselves have no good
options. Either they fight government red tape to get a legal permit,
or they buy one on the black market.
After an outbreak of violence, one embattled community in northern
Mexico called Colonia LeBaron has begun to ask if it's time for the
country to address its gun laws.
A farming town about 130 miles southwest of El Paso, Texas, in the
border state of Chihuahua, Colonia LeBaron was founded by breakaway
Mormons from the U.S. who wanted to practice polygamy. Today, most
residents hold dual citizenship, speak English and retain close ties
to the U.S. A few still practice plural marriage.
A Community Arms Itself
The militancy of Colonia LeBaron began on May 5, 2009, when
kidnappers seized a 16-year-old boy and demanded a $1 million ransom.
Though he was released unharmed, the townsfolk came together and
formed an anti-crime group to take a stand against the rampant
kidnappings and extortion. Their leader was Benjamin LeBaron.
But on July 7, 2009, close to 20 men showed up at Benjamin LeBaron's
house, according to his older brother, Julian LeBaron.
"They wanted to terrorize everyone into never opposing them," Julian
LeBaron says. "They dragged Benjamin out of his house, and [his
brother-in-law Luis Widmar] came to help him."
Then, he says, the criminals took the two men a couple miles down the
road and shot them.
Alex, Daniel and Max LeBaron look out over Colonia LeBaron in
Chihuahua, Mexico, in front of a shack they built as a lookout
against approaching criminals. The murder of two citizens galvanized
this community to protect itself, Alex says.
Enlarge Peter Breslow/NPR
Alex, Daniel and Max LeBaron look out over Colonia LeBaron in
Chihuahua, Mexico, in front of a shack they built as a lookout
against approaching criminals. The murder of two citizens galvanized
this community to protect itself, Alex says.
Alex, Daniel and Max LeBaron look out over Colonia LeBaron in
Chihuahua, Mexico, in front of a shack they built as a lookout
against approaching criminals. The murder of two citizens galvanized
this community to protect itself, Alex says.
Peter Breslow/NPR
Alex, Daniel and Max LeBaron look out over Colonia LeBaron in
Chihuahua, Mexico, in front of a shack they built as a lookout
against approaching criminals. The murder of two citizens galvanized
this community to protect itself, Alex says.
The cold-blooded murders of Benjamin LeBaron and Luis Widmar
galvanized the community, Julian LeBaron says. It prompted them to
take a stance that is familiar to Second-Amendment advocates in the
U.S., but one that is taboo in Mexico.
"I think there would be less violence if there were more guns, in the
sense that I could barge in here and do whatever I want, knowing that
this guy doesn't have a gun," says Jose Widmar, the brother of slain
Luis.
Today, if the gangsters return, the LeBaron colony is locked and loaded.
They have an advocate in their cousin Alex LeBaron, a 31-year-old
Chihuahua state deputy with national aspirations. He's a burly, baby-
faced politician who attended college in New Mexico and served in the
U.S. Navy. His own father was killed in a carjacking.
If Alex LeBaron makes it into the federal congress, his most
passionate issue will be changing Mexico's convoluted gun laws.
"We're Mexican citizens 100-percent, and we have the right to bear
arms, and we're going to keep fighting for that right as long as it
takes," he says.
'Complex And Expensive' To Buy A Gun
Alex LeBaron and some friends have gathered at a nearby gun club to
plink away at steel duck silhouettes. Joining a sport shooting club
is one way to avoid the aggravation of a obtaining an individual permit.
Though the Mexican constitution permits gun ownership, the government
strictly limits that privilege as a response to the violence of the
Mexican revolution and to uprisings in the 1960s when students looted
gun stores in Mexico City.
"In the black market it's very easy to acquire mostly American-made
weapons here in our country, but through the legal process it's ...
very complex and expensive," Alex LeBaron says.
Alex LeBaron points his gun toward a target at a local shooting club.
If Alex makes it into the federal Congress, his most passionate issue
will be changing Mexico's gun laws.
Enlarge Peter Breslow/NPR
Alex LeBaron points his gun toward a target at a local shooting club.
If Alex makes it into the federal Congress, his most passionate issue
will be changing Mexico's gun laws.
Alex LeBaron points his gun toward a target at a local shooting club.
If Alex makes it into the federal Congress, his most passionate issue
will be changing Mexico's gun laws.
Peter Breslow/NPR
Alex LeBaron points his gun toward a target at a local shooting club.
If Alex makes it into the federal Congress, his most passionate issue
will be changing Mexico's gun laws.
A citizen who wants a permit for a weapon must apply to the Mexican
military — a process that can cost upwards of $10,000. Then they pay
to have the permit renewed annually. The military further regulates
the caliber of weapon, how many guns a person can own, how much
ammunition they can buy each month, and where in the country they can
take the weapon.
The government abolished the last private gun store in 1995. Today,
the only legal gun store in the country is in Mexico City, guarded
and operated by the armed forces.
"In Mexico, the laws effectively don't allow you to purchase
weapons," says Dr. Oscar Urrutia Beall, a longtime member of the
Paquime Shooting Club. "There are some weapons they sell in Mexico
City, but the paperwork is difficult. Here, they won't let us buy a
gun, but they let us own a gun. It's an incongruity, a failed law."
A Gunfight With The Mexican Army
On the LeBaron family farm outside of town, workers pack red chilies
for shipment to New Mexico. The family also grows alfalfa, pecans and
cotton on irrigated fields bordered by the windswept foothills of the
Sierra Madre mountains.
The LeBarons now have a reputation of being well-armed and not afraid
to use their weapons.
One night, in October of 2009, a gunfight erupted between the LeBaron
brothers and a squad from the Mexican army. The LeBarons claim the
soldiers came to the front gate and did not identify themselves.
Fearing they were kidnappers, Alex says, the family opened fire.
Related NPR Stories
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How Thousands Of U.S. Guns Fuel Crime In Mexico
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Angels Send Message Of Peace To Juarez, Mexico
by John Burnett
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Official Admits 'Mistake' In Gun-Trafficking Case
by Carrie Johnson
"Los Mata Zetas," or the "Zeta Killers," described themselves in a
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"In the middle of [the] dark, sometimes, it's better to shoot and ask
questions later," he says.
One soldier was killed. One LeBaron brother and another farmer were
charged with murder, but the judge ultimately dropped the charges
because the evidence had been tampered with.
These days, things have quieted down in Colonia LeBaron. Some people
say it's because of the soldiers garrisoned in town. The LeBarons
maintain it's because the criminals know the community will fight back.
And if more communities were allowed to defend themselves, says Alex
LeBaron, Mexican organized crime would be on the run.
"I think Mexico's way past that revolutionary uprising point in our
history," he says. "I think we're ready to come into the 21st century
and be part of this whole global process of modernization. And this
is one of them — gun laws."
Other Citizens Express Reservations
But do Mexicans want gun laws similar to those in the U.S., where
buying an assault rifle can be as easy as buying a beer?
Basilio Sabata Salaices is the mayor of the municipality where
Colonia LeBaron is located. "Here, guns are very restricted," he
says. "But I see in the U.S. many things happen because youth don't
know how to use guns. I don't think we should make it easier to
possess a weapon, as in the U.S."
Beto Renteria is a prominent businessman in Nuevo Casas Grandes,
whose wife was kidnapped three years ago and returned after he paid
ransom.
"There are lots of Mexicans who have never shot a gun," he says. "It
could be dangerous putting a gun in the hands of an inexperienced
person; we could hurt someone."
Fernando Saenz is the leader of a citizen's militia in Ascension. The
town made headlines last September when a mob beat two suspected
kidnappers to death.
Like many Mexicans in regions plagued by violent crime, Saenz owns an
illegal, unregistered weapon — in his case, a 9 mm handgun.
I think guns are not advisable. I think what the government should do
is put honest, well-trained people in jobs to impart justice.
- Fernando Saenz, leader of a citizen's militia in Ascension
"Look," Saenz says pensively, "I think guns are not advisable. I
think what the government should do is put honest, well-trained
people in jobs to impart justice."
If these three responses are any guide, the LeBarons' crusade to
revise gun laws is at odds with a certain cultural ambivalence toward
firearms, at least among law-abiding Mexican citizens.
Alex LeBaron is undeterred. "I have to stress very strongly that if
the federal government, the state government or the local government
cannot protect you from the cartels or any criminal groups, we should
be able to protect ourselves. That's the bottom line," he says.
Asked if the community is openly flouting federal gun laws, he
replies: "Yes. We have to."
The Mexican secretary of National Defense, charged with enforcing gun
laws, declined to comment for this story.
The director of a pro-gun website called Mexico Armado said there is
no popular movement at the moment to liberalize the nation's gun
laws. Perhaps, he added, that's because anybody who wants a weapon in
Mexico — be they a good guy or a bad guy — has no problem getting one.
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