Posted on 06/02/2010 1:58:59 PM PDT by a fool in paradise
Laredo police say they made one of their largest weapons seizures in years after pulling over a truck laden with brand new assault rifles, bayonets and ammunition that they believe was headed to Mexico.
The seizure Saturday afternoon came less then two weeks after Mexican President Felipe Calderon asked Congress to help stem the flow of guns from the U.S. into Mexico.
Acting on a tip from the Webb County Sheriff's Office, Laredo police stopped a vehicle containing 175 brand-new, boxed assault rifles, 200 high-capacity magazines, 53 bayonets and 10,000 rounds of ammunition. One of the two men in the vehicle tried to flee, but was apprehended, said Laredo Police Investigator Joe Baeza...
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are investigating the seizure, but Baeza said the presumption is the vehicle was heading to Mexico.
"Two Joe Blows aren't going to buy a bunch of weapons and it stops there," Baeza said. "We're pretty positive it was headed to Mexico." He declined to release the names of the two men in custody...
Baeza said the seizure hit home in the context of Calderon's recent visit to Washington, during which he suggested the U.S. reinstate its ban on the sale of assault rifles.
Mexico has long complained that its violent drug war was fueled in large part by weapons smuggled across the border...
"I fully respect, I admire the American Constitution and I understand that the purpose of the Second Amendment is to guarantee good American citizens the ability to defend themselves and their nation," Calderon said to a joint session of Congress during his May visit. "But believe me, many of these guns are not going to honest American hands."...
(Excerpt) Read more at chron.com ...
Quite typically they are stolen from the American military by various gang members, both black and hispanic. There was a newspaper article 15 years or so about intercepted weapons that included artillery. The weapons were being taken to Mexico.
I kept seeing the term “assault rifles” in the article.
I really doubt these were full auto, or even “burst” capable rifles.
So, then, this could be solved by Mexico building a fence??
Well, 175 rifles is a lot of rifles, but the rest of it is bunk. A bit over 1 magazine per rifle, and about 6 rounds per. I wonder who the dealer was who accepted the forms stating these were for the purchaser’s sole use and that there were no straw purchases involved?
Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!
Too bad we can’t buy them as gov surplus!
Read this sentence first, very carefully, and you will see the whole propaganda line in a few words.
Whoops, make it 10000 rounds instead of 1000, so it’s 60 rounds per rifle. Just enough to get ‘em warmed up. Still, my prior post holds. I can understand an inquiry into that many guns, but existing laws are sufficient—don’t try to take all guns away before enforcing the laws we have.
“175 rifles is a lot of rifles”
Not for a free man. A good guy. A dealer. A shipper. Me.
Bayonets? In the land of Machetes? Charge!
Also in the news:
Laredo border agents bust fake deputy, find (1000 pounds of) pot in truck
HOUSTON CHRONICLE ^ | June 1, 2010, 9:20PM | DANE SCHILLER
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2526305/posts
80% of the ones they already suspected were from US - ie, those without the serial numbers filed off, etc.
80% of those that they sent to be checked.
Of course, a majority of those you already have pre-selected are going to fit your assertion.
Dealer—no problem. Buyer on the border... maybe some inquiry might be ok? Would you sell 175 rifles to some guy without any inquiry?
I know, let's build a wall then drugs can't get in and guns can't get out. Problem solved.
American citizens cannot own brand-new full-auto rifles, so I doubt they’re of American manufacture.
Imported guns from America reduce the price corrupt figures in Mexico’s military can get selling arms to drug dealers in Mexico.
for later read
The police didn’t mention the make and modle of the weapons and whom the buyer was supposed to be did they?Also were these weapons stolen or freash off the factory floor?
Smuggled across the border by whom? Mexicans who are in the US illegally. Maybe Mexico should keep them on their side of the border, and this problem would be solved.
Calderon said that 75,000 guns had been seized in Mexico in three years and 80 percent of those that could be traced came from the U.S.
Out of those 75,000, only a small number were able to be traced. So 80% of a small number -- NOT 80% of 75,000 --- could be proven to come from the US.
Yeah...for a change I was actually impressed with the quantities except for the ammo. 10k rounds is only 57 rounds per rifle.
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