Comparing El Paso to Juárez Gives Insights into Effectiveness of ‘Gun Control’

Border Fence along Highway 85; iStock-182883054
Border Fence along Highway 85; iStock-182883054

U.S.A. – -(Ammoland.com)-  “Mexico … threatened to take legal action against the United States for failing to protect its citizens after [the] mass shooting in the border city of El Paso,” NBC News reported Aug. 4. “Of the 20 people gunned down at a Walmart adjacent to the Cielo Vista Mall, at least seven were Mexican citizens, and Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard promised Mexico City will act.”

The complaint is hypocritically ironic on four levels.

The government of Mexico encourages and abets in the deliberate violation of  U.S. immigration laws. If we tried to emulate and enforce supposedly strict Mexican immigration laws, the “open borders” crowd would go nuts and deem it racist and xenophobic. And contrary to Ebrard’s claim, demographics notwithstanding, El Paso is not a “binational” city, it’s an American one, and the “supreme law” is still the Constitution.

The second level, if they insist on making a “numbers game” out of human lives, would have to consider American lives lost in Mexico. American Thinker notes:

“[M]ore Americans … have been killed in Mexico than all the remaining countries of the world combined.”

The third level where the foreign minister again fakes ignorance of U.S. law is by presuming our government has a duty to protect Mexican citizens.  Unless a “special relationship” exists, such a duty does not even extend to American citizens, as attorney Richard W. Stevens thoroughly illustrated in his now-classic “Dial 911 and Die.” The Supreme Court ruled on that in 2005 and it has been continually reaffirmed by federal courts. As the Mises Institute noted in a 2018 analysis:

“Police can watch someone attack you, refuse to intervene and not violate the Constitution.”

That makes citizen disarmament edicts mandating “gun-free zones” or forbidding the bearing of or choice of arms all the more evil. Criminals in government, under strict orders not to infringe, dictate to the people that they not only won’t protect them, but they also won’t allow them to protect themselves.

That’s what Ebrard and his “monopoly of violence” co-conspirators on this side of the border are really after, for U.S. “gun laws” to be more like Mexico’s. But unlike with immigration laws, they want disarmament to be enforced — and of course with no corresponding duty to protect.

Here’s the curious thing, and the fourth level of ironic hypocrisy by Mexican officials – consider the results of their “commonsense gun safety laws.” Compare violence in El Paso to that of its conjoined twin across the border, Ciudad Juárez, with its “restrictive gun laws.”

“El Paso among ‘Top 10 Safest Metro Cities’ in U.S. for 2019,” the El Paso Times reported earlier this year. “Despite border and immigration controversies, El Paso preserves its reputation as one of the safest metro cities in the nation.”

“2018 ended as one of the deadliest years for Ciudad Juárez in recent times,” ABC’s KVIA 7 noted in January. “El Diario de Juárez reported there were 1,247 homicides, a number comparable to the most violent era for the city from 2008 to 2011.”

A parable about a mote and a beam comes to mind. That and the terrifying realization of what the socialists culturally terraforming the Founders’ Republic intend to turn us into.


About David Codrea:David Codrea

David Codrea is the winner of multiple journalist awards for investigating/defending the RKBA and a long-time gun owner rights advocate who defiantly challenges the folly of citizen disarmament. He blogs at “The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance,” is a regularly featured contributor to Firearms News, and posts on Twitter: @dcodrea and Facebook.

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Larry

El Paso: 683.5 thousand people in 256 square miles.
Juarez: 1.32 million people in 124 square miles.
Nothing drives home the point of “third-world s*hole” than a visit to this border area. You can see it all safely, both sides, from any of El Paso’s prominent hills.

Courageous Lion - Hear Me Roar - Jus Meum Tuebor

Well if the disarmament crowd gets some red coats to try to confiscate our defense weapons, aim small, miss small. That’s what the colonists did against THEIR redcoats. That is how we will protect ourselves from those who won’t do their jobs of protecting us. The 2nd Amendment was put in the Constitution for one purpose and one purpose only.. That purpose is cold, unmistakable and ruthless… For it is to make sure that arms are in the hands of the people to enable free men and women to rise up and butcher tyrants with gunfire. It is for rifles… Read more »

KDad

The last (and only) time I visited Ciudad Juarez was on business in 1988. It was a real shit-hole then and I’m sure it hasn’t changed much. El Paso, on the other hand, seemed to be a pretty clean and decent place, as I recall. The only places I stopped at were a Freightliner dealership and a truck stop, but both were clean and the people were friendly.

tomcat

The same thing you see from the Mexican Govt. is the same the Mexican people bring to this country, and there is a lot of it that isn’t good. Mexicans like to sue our people for minor things, just to get the dollar. I have been to Juarez once and I can see no reason to go back. This was several years ago and it was crowded and dirty then with people living in shacks and laundry hanging on their porches. It makes sense to keep them south of the border, you can’t make a silk purse out of a… Read more »

Tionico

Ah, David, don’t pay him no nemmind……. he’s just a two bit Messikin political hack grandstanding for effect. If he HAD an authority I’d throw this one in his ugly mug: “Howiaait that your country refuse to control entry along your Southern boundary, OR their moving in large caravans to your nothern boundary, then force them upon US in violation of OUR laws, then whine and moan when a few of them get hurt when they nmanage to succeed in illegally entering OUR country, despite our vigourous efforts to make them abide by OUR laws for entry? He’s just stumping… Read more »

cav2108

Yes. Chicago, with twice the population of Juarez, had 596 homicides in 2018. Juarez, with HALF the population of Chicago, had 1297 homicides. . . . . . Generally speaking, someone in Juarez would be five times more likely to be a homicide victim and someone in Chicago. . . . . . . . . I’m not surprised. My last trip to Mexico was in 1970 (while on leave from Vietnam). It has been too dangerous for me or my family to visit since then, outside of a few small “tourist enclaves” (walled and protected with armed guards. .… Read more »

Wallace C

I’ve been to El Paso and almost went to Juarez. After hearing all the near nightly gunfire, discretion overrode valor. For any Mexican official to cast blame on the United States is ludicrous by any definition.

USMC0351Grunt

@Wallace, where approximately where you at location wise in El Paso when you were listening to this gunfire from Juarez?

MICHAEL J

Mexico threatens legal action against the United States? This just goes to show that morons are everywhere.

nrringlee

Well stated. Sadly those on the progressive and collectivist side of the isle have ears that do not hear and eyes that do not see. Ideology has blinded far too many to simple and verifiable truths.

Mack

Nicely written.

Facts do matter.

JoeUSooner

Not to liberals/socialists, they don’t, Mack. Only to sane people… us, out here in the real world… do facts actually matter.

KenW

Didn’t Joe Biden essentially say, and I paraphrase: “Facts, folks, we don’t need no stinkin facts!”

Mack

Sad to say, I know you are correct.
Progressives don’t care.

Escobar94

I grew up in Juarez and El Paso know both worlds well, Father’s American, Mothers Mexican. Can’t emphasize enough how much I support the 2nd amendment despite the El Paso shooting. Mexico wouldn’t be where it is today if people had the means to defend themselves. I’ve had friends and family killed in the drug war, learned the hard way you have to defend what you love fighting back. Cant believe that now also includes the racist bastards that forget Mexicans have been In Texas for generations. Never thought I’d have to watch my back on both sides of the… Read more »

Rock

How many AMERICANS have been murdered or “vanished” in Mexico ?
BUILD THE F-ING WALL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!