Lone rancher dies defending his home from cartel assault

[Bugfatty300]

Link to video.

According to the video Don Alejo Garza Tamez, a 77-year old ranch owner, was murdered in his home by a sizable group of cartel soldiers but not before he killed and badly wounded six of them.

Several men came to him a day before and told him he had 24 hours to sign over the ranch or he would suffer the consequences.

He sent all of his workers home and spent the night fortifying his house. He placed weapons and ammunition at every window.

On Sunday morning they returned with several trucks filled with heavily armed men and took up positions around his house and fired several shots into the air expecting the occupants to comply with their demands. But Garza fired back and killed two of the men outright. The gunmen responded with a rain of fire and hand grenades. In the ensuing fight four more criminals were killed and badly injured. Garza was eventually killed and the group retreated knowing that the military would be there soon.

They left behind six causalities and ultimately failed at their attempt to extort Garza's property. Due due to an elderly man armed with a few shotguns and hunting rifles.

The Mexican constitution says that it is the right of every Mexican "to possess arms within their domicile, for their safety and legitimate defense" but that right is severely curtailed by existing laws that make legally acquiring firearms extremely difficult and unpractical.

Don Garza was a wealthy ranch owner who probably had the means to legally purchase his firearms (or maybe not) but an honest person of limited means who desires or needs to defend his home doesn't have a lot of options.

Of course, as with illegal drugs, where there is demand there will be supply and acquiring a gun in Mexico through unofficial processes isn't very difficult but the trade is mostly controlled by the very criminals that one would need defending from.

So is de facto gun prohibition in Mexico helping or is it just creating another lucrative market for cartels and arms smugglers to exploit? Does it help keep weapons out of cartel hands or does it aid the cartels by disarming the people they terrorize?

 

[Tani Coyote]

This man is an inspiration to people everywhere; if you're going down, take as many as the enemy's bastards with you as possible. Also, make them live in fear, not yourself. If just one old man with a weapon could kill or wound six, just imagine what could be done if millions of Mexican citizens were armed with weapons as well! Also makes it easier for corrupt officials to uh... well, you know what generally happens to politicians who disregard the masses in a horrid way, and I'm not talking getting voted out.

I'd support more Mexican citizens having a sizable firearm stockpile just to help curb the influence of the cartels - it's one less industry for the cartels to control and far easier for citizens to defend themselves. Sure, it could also allow more weapons into cartel hands. But getting more and more weapons and defenses in the hands of the people is important.

Since the government seems rather inept, it's up to the people to dispense justice.

 

[Brighteye]

Having widespread access to weapons helps if there's a definite enemy, such as easily identifiable criminals attacking a man in his home.
Having widespread access to weapons is a problem if the enemy is not easily identifiable.

Basically, you want lots of weapons around if you, as a whole group, have the knowledge advantage. You want to avoid there being easy means of violence if your enemy can more easily pick targets than you can. If you have to wait for his first blow before you know who he is, you want that first blow to be as soft as possible.

Hence loose gun control might benefit Mexicans in lawless areas where gangs are known powers, but it will be a barrier to establishing full order, because the gangs will blend in.

 

[Bugfatty300]

Having widespread access to weapons helps if there's a definite enemy, such as easily identifiable criminals attacking a man in his home.
Having widespread access to weapons is a problem if the enemy is not easily identifiable.

Basically, you want lots of weapons around if you, as a whole group, have the knowledge advantage. You want to avoid there being easy means of violence if your enemy can more easily pick targets than you can. If you have to wait for his first blow before you know who he is, you want that first blow to be as soft as possible.

Hence loose gun control might benefit Mexicans in lawless areas where gangs are known powers, but it will be a barrier to establishing full order, because the gangs will blend in.

There is already widespread access to weapons...all over the country. The idea is that honest people will have an easier time to legally acquire and learn how to use them without having to buy one from smugglers and criminals which would be funding the very violence that they're trying to defend themselves from.

 

[GoodGame]

Shame he didn't have friends and heavier firepower.

 

[Gelion]

Reminds me of that American man who raised a town with his tractor rather than give in to harassment of companies and corrupt officials.

 

[Paradigne]

The sad thing is, this kind of thing is pretty much a daily occurrence on the Tex-Mex border.

 

[Incodcito]

How long until this is wrongly reported to have happened within the USA on Fox News?

 

[Kozmos]

Again why doesnt the US put smart landmines on it's border?

 

[Paradigne]

How long until this is wrongly reported to have happened within the USA on Fox News?

Why make it up? The cartels are harassing US ranchers all the time. Just because you don;t here about it on your news station doesn't mean it isn't happening; it's been going on for years.

 

[emzie]

Reminds me of that American man who raised a town with his tractor rather than give in to harassment of companies and corrupt officials.

KILLDOZER


Link to video.

 

[civver_764]

End the drug war already, Jesus Christ.

 

[Incodcito]

Why make it up? The cartels are harassing US ranchers all the time. Just because you don;t here about it on your news station doesn't mean it isn't happening; it's been going on for years.

All the time? Proof?

 

[Tani Coyote]

End the drug war already, Jesus Christ.

While that'd be the first step towards eliminating the power of the cartels, I hardly think turning them into legitimate businesses would curb their power entirely. They'd oppose legalisation that wouldn't empower them.

And even if legalisation or decrim passed, they'd find other niches to gain illicit revenue from. They enjoy too much power and won't let go. They're like freakin' warlords.

 

[bhsup]

End the drug war already, Jesus Christ.

We're trying to. But the bastards keep smuggling in more illegal drugs for the people on this side of the border willfully enabling them by using the illegal drugs.

The drug war would be over tomorrow if everyone would just obey the drug laws. But noooo.... criminals will be criminals, so we have to keep up the good fight.

 

[emzie]

We're trying to. But the bastards keep smuggling in more illegal drugs for the people on this side of the border willfully enabling them by using the illegal drugs.

The drug war would be over tomorrow if everyone would just obey the drug laws. But noooo.... criminals will be criminals, so we have to keep up the good fight.

You're trying to change human behaviour that's older than history. Accept what we are.

 

[Behind The Mask]

We're trying to. But the bastards keep smuggling in more illegal drugs for the people on this side of the border willfully enabling them by using the illegal drugs.

The drug war would be over tomorrow if everyone would just obey the drug laws. But noooo.... criminals will be criminals, so we have to keep up the good fight.

Thank god we never had that problem with prohibition.

 

[Traitorfish]

We're trying to. But the bastards keep smuggling in more illegal drugs for the people on this side of the border willfully enabling them by using the illegal drugs.

The drug war would be over tomorrow if everyone would just obey the drug laws. But noooo.... criminals will be criminals, so we have to keep up the good fight.

Or, get rid of the drug laws. Lateral thinking, mate, that's the ticket.

 

[Zelig]

According to the video Don Alejo Garza Tamez, a 77-year old ranch owner, was murdered in his home by a sizable group of cartel soldiers but not before he killed and badly wounded six of them.

Several men came to him a day before and told him he had 24 hours to sign over the ranch or he would suffer the consequences.

He sent all of his workers home and spent the night fortifying his house. He placed weapons and ammunition at every window.

On Sunday morning they returned with several trucks filled with heavily armed men and took up positions around his house and fired several shots into the air expecting the occupants to comply with their demands. But Garza fired back and killed two of the men outright. The gunmen responded with a rain of fire and hand grenades. In the ensuing fight four more criminals were killed and badly injured. Garza was eventually killed and the group retreated knowing that the military would be there soon.

They left behind six causalities and ultimately failed at their attempt to extort Garza's property. Due due to an elderly man armed with a few shotguns and hunting rifles.

The Mexican constitution says that it is the right of every Mexican "to possess arms within their domicile, for their safety and legitimate defense" but that right is severely curtailed by existing laws that make legally acquiring firearms extremely difficult and unpractical.

Don Garza was a wealthy ranch owner who probably had the means to legally purchase his firearms (or maybe not) but an honest person of limited means who desires or needs to defend his home doesn't have a lot of options.

Of course, as with illegal drugs, where there is demand there will be supply and acquiring a gun in Mexico through unofficial processes isn't very difficult but the trade is mostly controlled by the very criminals that one would need defending from.

So is de facto gun prohibition in Mexico helping or is it just creating another lucrative market for cartels and arms smugglers to exploit? Does it help keep weapons out of cartel hands or does it aid the cartels by disarming the people they terrorize?

So the moral of the story of the story is that if you have guns and are threatened, you will be more likely to die than if you did not have guns?

 

[Formaldehyde]

So this affluent 77-year-old man decided his property was worth more than his own life? I think he made a really bad choice.