Well, really she didn’t that I know of, but I found out the new Venezuelan Gun Control Law proposal and I’ve been reading it. To say that it is every gun banner’s wet dream would be an understatement of biblical proportions.

First, a little background. Venezuela is a “democracy” under the authoritarian rule of Hugo Chavez and an absolute meek pliable legislature. Laws are ordered by Hugo, usually while he rants on his weekly Sunday TV show (which every TV and radio station must carry under penalty of law) and on Monday the “Assembly” gets together to bang the “proposed” articles of the new law, puts it for vote no later than Wednesday and presents it to His Majesty on Thursday for his reading between blows of cocaine. By Friday is signed into law and published. Some laws make take some more time so they make no announcement till it is ready for publication and Hugo can claim it was his idea.

Now that the “legislative” process is covered, let’s go to the why they came out with a third gun control law during the jubilant period of eternal government by His Grace the Almighty Hugo: Crime is totally out of control. The official number of murders every year is above 15,000 for a country of under 27 million people.  To make it a tad clearer: Venezuela is roughly the size and population of Texas but it has a bit over ten times the number of murders.  98% of murders are never solved by the police and every poll in Venezuela says that the number one preoccupation for the average citizen is crime. Two other gun controls were previously adopted which included a one month grace period where every subject had to register any and all weapons with Venezuela’s Defense Department under penalty of heavy prison time. Of course criminals did not do such thing and crime kept crawling up. Have No Fear! Hugo is Here! So we have another Gun Control Law in the cauldron which promises without a doubt the elimination of crime as we know it.

Here are some of the highlights:

• You buy the gun but it does not belong to you. It is government’s property that can be confiscated for any reason and without compensation.
• You are allowed only ONE gun. That’s it! If you need (not want) more than one, you must make your case to the Government and go through a process which will not guarantee you anything.
• You are allowed to own ONE reload (One spare mag or speedloader) and the reload is limited to 14 rounds.
• You are allowed to buy only 50 rounds a year for self defense. If you use it and need it replenished, you must go through a crapload of paperwork similar to why you need another gun.
• No hollow point ammunition. Full metal Jackets or FMJ expanding ammo only and only the ones provided by the government at their stores or the stores licensed by the Government.
• Ammo for sporting purposes can be obtained but only at authorized ranges and under scrutiny and keeping track of every round spent. Unused ammo must be returned. Private ranges must account for every round of ammunition and keep strict tabs.
• All ammo belongs to the state.
• Reloading your own ammunition carries a penalty of 8 to 10 years in prison.
• No gun modifications are allowed at all. This covers replacing any part of the gun like grips or sights.
• Nobody but the Government is allowed to stock spare parts. You must buy the parts from them.
• Illegal weapons carry a 10-18 year sentence
• Illegal trafficking gets 16 years
• Illegal bows, crossbows, air rifles or even airsofts gets you 8 years.
• The Media MUST (under penalty of law) produce Public Service Ads explaining why guns are bad and you must be disarmed.

There is more, but I thought this was enough to make anybody sick. And if you do not think Anti Gunners wouldn’t dare to pass something like this, think again: They would kill to get that law here.

If you happen to read Spanish, you can download the proposed law here.

UPDATE: I just found out that the law has been approved as it stands by the Legislature. It is on its way to Hugo’s desk. Careful do not disturb the coke lines.