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[South Texas]Valley Ranchers Taking Up High-Powered Rifles to Protect Land
KRGV ^ | January 20, 2012

Posted on 01/21/2012 7:12:01 PM PST by SwinneySwitch

STARR COUNTY - Valley ranchers say they are arming themselves with high-powered rifles to protect their property.

Ranchers say handguns aren't enough anymore. They need more firepower. An AK-47 semiautomatic assault rifle holds 30 rounds. It protects this ranch in Starr County, hundreds of acres.

"It does have fire power and it's reliable," says the rancher.

Barbed wire fencing doesn't keep illegal immigrants off the property anymore. This rancher doesn't care about the illegals. He worries about the smugglers protecting their loads.

"I don't think they would have any conscience of taking someone's life," the rancher says.

He saw that will to kill firsthand. A smuggler shot at him on his own land.

"One round was fired at me, and it missed my head by about two feet," says the rancher.

He says there's only way to react.

"Fire all the rounds you have, reload, and do it again," says the rancher.

That's why he carries an assault rifle. He's not the only one.

Erick Kruger owns the armory gun store in McAllen. He says AK-47 and AR15 assault rifles are always popular weapons. He says spillover violence in the Valley is propelling assault rifle business.

"Countless people have come in here and said, ‘Man, they broke into my house' or ‘we've had a home invasion. We want to get a gun,'" says Kruger.

"It gives you a better sense of security," says the rancher.

The rancher says that security only goes so far.

"No matter how well armed you are, these cartels, Zetas, whoever, they're going to have you outgunned anyway," says the rancher.

He says all he can do is load his gun and hope he never needs to fire it again. That rancher says smuggling activity on his land slowed during hunting season. He says that happens every year. He expects it to pick back up in the next couple of weeks.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Mexico; News/Current Events; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: banglist; borderwars; mexico; starrcounty
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Spillover?
1 posted on 01/21/2012 7:12:08 PM PST by SwinneySwitch
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To: SwinneySwitch

Tough choice - protect yourselves and live to see your ranch and property given to trespassing illegal aliens by some federal judge, or bare your throat to them.


2 posted on 01/21/2012 7:14:44 PM PST by skeeter
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To: SwinneySwitch
smuggling activity on his land slowed during hunting season.

Maybe we need a small bounty on invaders. Say $10 per pair of ears or balls.

That should slow things down a bit.

/johnny

3 posted on 01/21/2012 7:18:04 PM PST by JRandomFreeper (Gone Galt)
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To: skeeter

After about a week, you call the county to report a “dead” body found on the property stinking up the place. Probably a hunter hunting illegally on the property and not careful about wearing bright colors so a not to be mistaken for a deer or coyote.


4 posted on 01/21/2012 7:21:44 PM PST by RetiredTexasVet (There's a pill for just about everything ... except stupid!)
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To: JRandomFreeper

Sad, isn’t it.

This isn’t the America I grew up in.

I’m not at all in favor of extra-Constitutional “czars” but we could use a Black Jack Pershing again, eh?


5 posted on 01/21/2012 7:24:03 PM PST by One Name
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To: SwinneySwitch

Now, now, you know the border is as safe as it ever was...


6 posted on 01/21/2012 7:24:27 PM PST by bgill (The Obama administration is staging a coup. Wake up, America, before it's too late.)
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To: SwinneySwitch

“Border problem? We don’ have no steenking border probrem, you do amigo!” /s( real bad sarcasm, LOCK AND LOAD!)


7 posted on 01/21/2012 7:35:55 PM PST by Karliner ( Jeremiah 29:11, Romans 8:28, Romans 8:38"...this is the end of the beginning."WC)
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To: SwinneySwitch

Make machine guns legal, no max round capacity........for when 15 rounds in a semi just isn’t enough.

Vote for me.


8 posted on 01/21/2012 7:36:56 PM PST by Graybeard58 (Eccl 10 v. 19 A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things.)
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To: Graybeard58

Yeah. It seems that if you’re going with a semi there would be better choices than an AK47. Am I wrong?


9 posted on 01/21/2012 7:48:33 PM PST by Brilliant
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To: SwinneySwitch
Besides the light assault rifles I'd get a Barrett M82A1 in .50 BMG and outfit it with night and thermal imaging sights. I'd rig my property with some IEDs or Claymore mines if I could get them. I'd sprinkle the ground with bottles of water laced with ipecac syrup (causes severe vomitting) as a token of welcome.

It's a war zone down there and the ranchers should be outfitted and supported to win it.

10 posted on 01/21/2012 7:53:20 PM PST by Harley (Will Rogers never met Harry Reid.)
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To: Brilliant

The Semi-auto AK47 is one of if not the best SHTF weapons one could have and alot of them have been purchased in the last several years since the AWB expired. With the way things are going I personally would recommend alot of Americans latch on to one while they still can. What’s going on our border is probably just the beginning.


11 posted on 01/21/2012 7:55:53 PM PST by MachIV
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To: SwinneySwitch
An AK-47 semiautomatic assault rifle holds 30 rounds

Idiot news reporters, as usual. It "holds" whatever magazine is attached to it. 5, 10, 20, 30, 75...

Gawd, wouldn't you think that, sooner or later, they'd accidentally hire someone who has a clue?

12 posted on 01/21/2012 7:59:03 PM PST by FlyVet
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To: Brilliant

Here’s a comparison of the choices out there. For all purposes, I like a .308 with a folding stock. More punch, more accuracy.

http://www.bobtuley.com/terminal.htm


13 posted on 01/21/2012 8:01:31 PM PST by meatloaf
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To: SwinneySwitch
Actual Thompson ad from back in the day...


14 posted on 01/21/2012 8:03:30 PM PST by Joe 6-pack (Que me amat, amet et canem. meum)
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To: Arrowhead1952; Racehorse; chicagolady; K-oneTexas; fuzzthatwuz; publana; deadmenvote; ...

Ping!


15 posted on 01/21/2012 8:04:16 PM PST by SwinneySwitch (Mexico - beyond your expectations.)
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To: SwinneySwitch

Where I come from its called, Shoot, shovel and shut up.


16 posted on 01/21/2012 8:04:30 PM PST by JamesA (You don't have to be big to stand tall)
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To: Graybeard58
"no max round capacity"

That has never been a issue in Texas 'cept for hunting migratory birds (Fed Law).

I would have thought some of those ranchers would choose a AR for aimed fire. Or a M1A for aimed reach.

17 posted on 01/21/2012 8:07:14 PM PST by Deaf Smith
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To: SwinneySwitch

It’s a shame that these ranchers’ federal tax dollars disappear down the toilet of Ubamagovernment corruption instead of protecting the border and keeping American citizens safe.


18 posted on 01/21/2012 8:09:20 PM PST by Lancey Howard
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To: SwinneySwitch

HoneyBamster don’t care.


19 posted on 01/21/2012 8:10:25 PM PST by Blado (Obama is a coprolite from the Late Soviet Era)
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To: Deaf Smith

I would have thought some of these ranchers would go to Remington 700s and real good scopes.


20 posted on 01/21/2012 8:11:03 PM PST by Lancey Howard
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