by: Javier Estrada, CNNOfficials in a northern Mexican city plagued by violence say a new course will take a fresh approach toward protecting citizens: Training people to handle and shoot guns.
The aim of the approach, says Garcia Mayor Jaime Rodriguez Calderon, is putting a stop to crime in the 40,000-person city in Nuevo Leon state.
"Many people call me because their son or their husband has been kidnapped, or some family member's car has been stolen. I said to myself, 'Wow, how can we, the citizens, defend ourselves,' " Rodriguez told CNNMexico.com.
Twice this year, gunmen have tried to assassinate Rodriguez, who has earned the nickname of Bronco for his strong personality.
The training for people with weapons permits in Garcia is part of a phase of Rodriguez's security program aimed at "involving the citizens in defense of the region."
"Many of them want the training and knowledge ... to defend their families and their heritage," he said.
In addition to the weapons course, the project also includes broader training in its "urban defense" goals.
"Imagine if there is someone wounded and no one in the neighborhood knows what to do. It's happened to us that in the street there is someone who's been shot and the (paramedics) don't come," Rodriguez said.
So far, about 3,000 people from Garcia and nearby cities have signed up for the course, including engineers, teachers, housewives and retired military.
The course's start date has not yet been scheduled. It will be free and take place in a city hunting club, where students will use .22-caliber guns for training.
Garcia's program is not the first citizen-defense proposal in Nuevo Leon state involving weapons. State lawmakers are also studying a proposal that would relax weapons restrictions there.
Nuevo Leon, which borders Texas, has seen a surge in violence as the Gulf Cartel and the Zetas drug gang fight over drug trafficking routes.
Additional Links:
Ciudadanos de García, Nuevo León, se capacitarán para usar armas
Edil de NL capacitará en armas a ciudadanos
@ Ovemex
ReplyDeleteI like how you always keep us informed with updates. i'm glad that this great man is still alive. he makes me proud to be Mexican. he's a Real Bad Ass! but he's smart too and he cares for his people.
that is smart. BRAVO! train the people on how to defend themselves. it does'nt cost too much do this and it can save lives. it gives the people a sense of pride and purpose and it's the perfect thing to do for a small city. this man and this city should be used as an example for all of mexico. mayor calderon listens to his people and tries to figure out the best way to help them and then does things.
MAYOR JAIME CALDERON. I praise you!
Everytime i hear about this man, i feel good. he gives me hope that one day mexico will make a comeback.
ReplyDeleteI hope they have a class on how to defend yourself against 2 suburbans full of coked up assholes using only that bolt action rifle ur government allows you to keep
ReplyDeleteI think thats great that citizens are learning how to defend themselves, but wouldnt it still be difficult for them since there really isnt any type of sales for guns in mexico, legally? Or has that changed?
ReplyDeleteProps to that Mayor - finally someone having the huevos to stand up not only to the cartels, but to the paltry excuse of a government called the Calderon administration.
ReplyDeleteGood for him and even better for the citizens.
President Calderon look, listen and learn from Mayor Calderon.
ReplyDeletei agree with 9:54
ReplyDeleteWhat good is a handgun or rifle against 10,15,20 gunmen with AK's and RPG's.
What good is a handgun or rifle against AKs? It is a good start. The people in Mexico need to stand up to these thugs and TAKE BACK THEIR COUNTRY. The government needs to allow them weapons for defense.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
ReplyDeletei agree with 9:54
What good is a handgun or rifle against 10,15,20 gunmen with AK's and RPG's.
September 9, 2011 1:10 AM
Anything at this point is better than just sanding there, doing nothing but getting killed.
For those asking, "What good is one person with a gun against 10, 15, 20 armed with AK's and RPG's" I say pretty darn good.
ReplyDelete77 year old Don Alejo took on a group of young sicarior with 2 hunting rifles. The sicarios has assault rifles and grenades.
In the end brave Don Alejo lost his life as Mexico bravest soldier. The sicarios left four dead and two badly wounded cowards. Cowards because in all their false sense of bravado and macho BS, they were too scares to come back for their wounded.
If Don Alejo had an AK or AR15, I'm sure there would have been twice as many dead sicarios. Maybe he'd be alive today for that and brought up on charges.
So you ask what good is one brave Mexican with a hunting rifle is against a group of 10, 15, 20 armed sicarios? I say 100% effective. Taking out 6 men out of 20 renders them combat ineffective. The other 14 too scared to pick up their wounded or ever come back makes them 100% combat ineffective.
Quit hiding in your holes or behind the Mexican government. It only takes less than 5% of law abiding Mexican being armed to stop this in a year or less.
This is an excellent start!!
ReplyDeleteMany Mexican citizens in nearby border towns have family in the states. Acquiring fire-arms will not be difficult.
One hand gun vs an AR-15 does not stand a chance. An entire town armed and trained vs an AR-15 does. And what makes us think Mexican citizens will only have handguns and rifles?
Anon 9:54 & 1:10
ReplyDeleteYou guys are little bitches. Haven't you ever heard it's better to die on you feet fighting than to live on you knees!! Ahhh I think that was Emeliano Zapata even. Keep making excuses on why you can't take your country back and see how far that gets you....
@1:10. But if you have a group of 100 law abiding citizens willing to kill these assholes, the table starts turning on them.. Plus, they are coked up thugs that don't have any kind of tactical training... A good ambush with molotov cocktails and a couple of snipers will make these assholes think twice..
ReplyDeleteI know innocents will die if they start fighting zetas, but it is not different of what is going on right now.
"Anything at this point is better than just sanding there, doing nothing but getting killed."
ReplyDeleteExplain to me how fighting a group of AK's with a .38 pistol is any better than fighting with a sling shot.
If you die on your feet fighting your still dead. Call me a little bitch, but i have no urge to die, fighting or otherwise. And all you idiots who think these defense classes are going to help, your wrong. The list of the 3000 people who took this course? Its already in the hands of the local Zeta boss. And now him & 20 others are on their way to your house, because they know you have a license to own a gun, and they want what you have. Hope you were paying attention during the course cuz the police arent going to come if you call
@ mouse 11:17
ReplyDeletewhy such a pessimist? they've already tried to kill mayor garcia twice and not even Los Zetas have been able to kill him. he's too smart for them and you gotta respect a man who has a set of balls.
nothing wrong with trying to protect yourself, your family and your city.
if we had more people like the great mayor garcia, mexico would be able to protect their country.
I've seen police armed only with handguns take out groups of sicarios. As long as your target isn't wearing a bullet proof vest, just about any weapon is effective.
ReplyDeleteIt's a damn good start if you ask me.
Many people bitch about old rifles but fact is that apart from low magazine sizes and lack of semi-automatic fire they are very good rifles. British used Lee-Enfields in 90's and I think they still issue them in Canada, same with Mosin-Nagants.
ReplyDeletethat's what mexico is missing, Great Leaders. but then mexico's rich elitist would'nt allow a good and intelligent man like mayor garcia become president of mexico. that's why mexico is where it's at.
ReplyDeleteI am at a loss for words at the ignorant liberal dumbass reporter interviewing this great man. Notice how she didn't answer the question by the good Mayor of what she would do if her family was being kidnapped? Probably stand there and cry like any good do-good liberal. Also, why must the US always be portrayed as a gun toting nation with hundreds of murders per day because EVERYONE is armed in the Good Ol States? Isn't this what happens in Mexico everyday? Aren't guns restricted in Mexico to the point of being illegal? Yes, people do get murdered in the US with guns, but the incidents are isolated and are quickly dealt with by Police or armed citizens. Armed groups of 20-30 assholes running around taking and killing anyone they please? I don't think so. And that's thanks to our armed society. Good job to the Mayor for trying to do what's right and what actually works.
ReplyDeleteRAM
"What good is a handgun or rifle against 10,15,20 gunmen with AK's and RPG's." - with your mindset, no good at all.
ReplyDeleteBut in the hands of someone with the right mindset - it's a game changer. It all starts with one or two news stories in amongst all the tragedy to read 'carjack victim defends against attackers with .22 pistol' and the ball is rolling; the criminals become less emboldened, the citizens realize they CAN do something and the tide starts to turn. Bravo for them - Mexico should divert some of its available labor into making sub-$75, short barrel pump shotguns for wide sale to the law abiding, allow law abiding to carry firearms with a license, and guarantee no prosecution in the event a law abiding citizen shoots a criminal using a firearm in commission of a crime.
They also need to open up decent handgun calibers so that they can import and sell cheap firearms and ammunition (9mm / 40S&w / 45 ACP etc) rather than limit to the 'non military' calibers.
But, even with none of that, a .22 pistol is still more effective that both hands raised.
"Many people bitch about old rifles but fact is that apart from low magazine sizes and lack of semi-automatic fire they are very good rifles. British used Lee-Enfields in 90's and I think they still issue them in Canada, same with Mosin-Nagants." - absolutely 100% right; Mosins can be had for - what - $80 ? Mexico ought to buy in bulk and provide to the law abiding with a few packs of ammo - that would be a great defense against a home invasion.
ReplyDeleteJust give the weapons confiscated from cartels to the civilians. That would be a cheap start.
ReplyDeleteRAM I didn't hear any liberal ramblings--and I usually spot them right away. This story was a statement of facts interspersed with quotes from Calderon. Period.
ReplyDeleteI have said train the people to be able to help and defend themselves and I am so glad to see it happening. Its such an important first step I don't care what kind of guns they are using.
At least one can go down fighting if it comes down to that.
ReplyDeleteMexico's federal government also needs to get its head out of its ass and get behind this mayor's initiative.. A nationwide loosening of firearms laws combined with a far more even handed view of cases where people killed a scumbag in self defense would be a good start. I'm also in agreement with releasing the heavy arms that get confiscated into the open market so that law abiding citizens can buy them at deep discounts. Again, though, the most important thing is to stop. fucking. punishing innocent people who kill a criminal in self defense. This will make more of them more likely to do so when needed.
ReplyDeleteWow great , just what should have happened a long time ago. And again a lot of great comments, most are right on. One man or woman with a hand gun may not have much chance against car loads of thugs but better than nothing and if all your neighbors have guns then the odds change and those car loads of thugs hit reverse. Old dolt action WW1 and 2 rifles are out there in great shape and could be bought in bulk for penny's on the dollar. Sounds like just what the Doctor ordered.
ReplyDeleteBest news yet! i am glad this Mayor is thinking about his community enough to offer them the help they need, everything else, like relying on the police officers is just in vain, so i am glad citizens can now have the option, not only to defend themselves, but to help those who happen to fall wounded by these criminals...
ReplyDeletegood job Mr. Rodriguez!
Layla,
ReplyDeleteI'm with you 100 percent....train the good people of Mexico to defend themselves..it was the part when the reporter Denise tried to use the example of the US armed society as a deterrent by giving the everybody shoots each other over a traffic accident scenario that sounded liberal minded to me. She cited that with citizens armed with guns, different types of deaths will start emerging. Right now, the only type of death in Mexico is by the narco violence. I want to see that changed, I want to read more headlines like Don Alejo, or the young man who held off a group of sicarios by himself for over forty minutes with a gun, a Gun!!! God forbid reporter Denise hears this. The State Police Officer Gaston Santos who took on six sicarios on his own and killed two, also thanks to a gun. That's why I called her a liberal Layla....
RAM
@ RAM thanks for letting me know about this man, it was a pleasure to read about him.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.borderlandbeat.com/2010/11/mexican-marines-reconstruct-death-of.html#comment-form
this is his corrido
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khTZIJHeCsY