A south Texas man is in federal custody on gun charges after attempting to purchase 10 fully automatic machine guns from an undercover federal agent for delivery to Mexico.
Joel Santos, a 23-year-old from Mission, was arrested Thursday and charged with conspiring to receive a firearm not registered to him.
Gustavo Chavez Delamora, a Mexican citizen, was arrested on the same charge.
The U.S. Attorney's Office says Santos delivered $12,000 in exchange for the guns to an undercover agent from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Santos allegedly paid an additional $6,000 for 15 handguns.
You know what I've heard a number of times? Pro gun folks told me none of the automatic weapons found in Mexico could have come from the U.S. because they're illegal here. As it turns out, illegal or not, machine guns are indeed being bought and sold and trafficked in the U.S. Do you think those responsible for that activity are otherwise law-abiding gun owners who've been turned into criminals by the unjust laws?
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Ok, yet another "criminal attempts criminal activity and is caught by law enforcement doing their jobs" story.
ReplyDeleteI never understood why you post stories about successful applications of the law as an example of why we need more laws.
"You know what I've heard a number of times? Pro gun folks told me none of the automatic weapons found in Mexico could have come from the U.S. because they're illegal here."
No, what we said is that the vast majority of full auto weapons are not being straw purchased and smuggled across the border. These guns have never been sold to civilians and are illegal. Why would drug cartels spend $10k or more on a "legal" M-16 when they can buy plenty of "illegal" ones for $500 on the black market?
This story is about a gun runner trying to buy untaxed guns from who he believes to be another criminal. Nothing about this story relates to legal gun owners.
Pro gun folks told me none of the automatic weapons found in Mexico could have come from the U.S. because they're illegal here. As it turns out, illegal or not, machine guns are indeed being bought and sold and trafficked in the U.S.
ReplyDeleteThe ATF made it look like there was machine guns available, and some dupe fell for it. That doesn't mean that they are in actuality easy to obtain.
MikeB: As it turns out, illegal or not, machine guns are indeed being bought and sold and trafficked in the U.S.
ReplyDeleteNo, that means the ATF indeed performs undercover sting operations.
MikeB: Do you think those responsible for that activity are otherwise law-abiding gun owners who've been turned into criminals by the unjust laws?
No, gun running falls squarely into criminal activity. I have never seen anyone here support that.
-TS
So an ATF agent attempts to sell non-existent machines and that's proof that Mexico gets machine guns from the US?
ReplyDeleteI could pilot a B-52 through the hole in your logic.
I have to ask you, mikeb:
ReplyDeleteIf someone attempts to sell me a sack of unicorn manure, does that mean unicorns exist?
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Only in Mikeb's strange little world would the failure to buy machine guns in the U.S. prove that "machine guns are indeed being bought and sold and trafficked in the U.S.
ReplyDelete12,000 for 10 guns? Where can I get that deal except from an undercover federal agent? Nowhere. Has it occurred to you that many criminals are actually kind of dumb, and haven't heard the old adage "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is?"
ReplyDeleteAztecRed said, "If someone attempts to sell me a sack of unicorn manure, does that mean unicorns exist?"
ReplyDeleteAnd Zorro can't stop laughing.
Are you guys saying that machine guns don't exist, or that they cannot be bought in the U.S.?
We know they exist Mike, but they are contraband in Mexico, and mostly contraband here. I have no doubt that the cartels are getting machine guns. But why buy them here? Latin America is awash with automatics thanks to the good old days when we were fighting proxy wars with the Soviets.
ReplyDeleteI'm not saying machine guns don't exist here. I'm not saying there's not a black market for them either. But what makes the cartels come here for them?
"Are you guys saying that machine guns don't exist, or that they cannot be bought in the U.S.?"
ReplyDeleteThey exist. But just because they exist, doesn't mean the person trying to sell them to you actually has them.