Venezuela’s CAVIM had a wee bit of a fire.

Another angle:

And in true socialistic/paranoid fashion, Hugo’s mouthpiece Vice President Jauja said: “We can not rule out any hypothesis, Venezuela is a country threatened by powerful international forces and we know of groups who act crazy in our territory and our military and our security forces have been gradually neutralized. ”
That means the CIA will get the blame which the Obama administration will deny and point fingers to the NRA and the “heated rhetoric of the Right.”

UPDATE: Some pics and vids including stuff that rained around the neighborhood.

The following is a Google Translate result of an article in Spanish by Globovision. Some stuff will not make a sense grammatically, but I am sure you will get the gist.

Venezuela, one of the most violent countries in Latin America, reported 17,600 murders in 2009, according to figures from the Venezuelan Observatory of Violence organization (OVV).

“Our projection for this year of (is) 17,600 murders, “he told AFP Roberto Briceño León, directorof OVV.

“These are conservative figures. Here we are not considering resistance to authority, which includesmore than 2,000 dead, nor the dead in this December has been very strong, “he added.

According to Briceño León, the total of deaths “between 4,000 and 5,000 homicides were recorded inCaracas, “one of the most violent cities in the region with 230 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants. “

“We continue to Caracas in the Midwest states, which are also the most populous. It is an urbanproblem, which mainly affects the poorest people, “ said the expert.

Venezuela has a population of 29 million, according to the National Statistics Institute (INE).

The government does (has) not provided figures for violence for years and is the weekly newspaper(s) which provides statistics on crimes based on the number of bodies entering the morgues.

The OVV in 2009 estimated that 16,047 people were killed. This figure is below that shows a report of the INE, leaked to the press in August, which estimated that in 2009 there were 19,133 murders in the country.
According to surveys, the growing insecurity is the biggest concern for Venezuelans.

“It’s terribly disturbing, Venezuela has four times more homicides than Mexico. And there is an opinion,a formal response, “ said Briceno.

In January 2010, the government declared an “offensive“ against insecurity and special security devices (operations) deployed throughout the country.

The Socialist Powers That Be are an abject failure…or maybe not. Remember that Gun Control is always about People Control and Venezuela has plunged into abject misery thanks to all the Nanny State crap (including Gun Control Laws) brought by “The Revolution” and one sure way to keep people from assaulting the ramparts and keep them home afraid is to have them scared shitless of even walking outside their homes.

Not here, no way, no how.

Yesterday I am talking on the phone with an old family friend in Venezuela. I asked him about the status of the new Disarmament Law and if it was already on the books for good. It turns out it is not yet, but they are expecting its final approval soon. He also told me that he had to part with his collection of 12 assorted weapons in order to remain legal as the new law only allows one firearm per person per lifetime. He sold some and gave the others to friends and relatives that were looking for a gun and hoping (key word: hoping) they can register them before the new law takes effect.

In the meantime, murders keep climbing and the situation is so bad, Hugo’s Government has all but clamped down on news outlets so they do not report crime faithfully. The newspaper El Nacional was raided by the political police for publishing a graphic image of the bodies of murder victims stacked like abandoned furniture at the overwhelmed morgue in Caracas.

In the meantime, Venezuela’s murder rate is 54 per 100,000 and Caracas’ (Capital city) murder rate is 140 per 100,000.  The US’ rate is 5.4 per 100,000 with 10 times the population.

Tell me again that Gun Control works…

I remember seeing this video some years ago but I just bumped into it again and it needs to be shared. This is home video taken in Caracas, Venezuela of an active criminal band doing their nasty deeds absolutely unchecked. The area being filmed is a “barrio” which is the venezuelan version of a high poverty area dominated by criminals. No police dares to go there since the criminals are heavily armed and in absolute control. Anybody daring to bear witness to their activities will be killed alongside his family.

The begining of the video shows these “poor misunderstood” creatures just hanging around, chilling and brandishing their guns (red circles). But the good stuff begins at 3:26 and shows one of the Bad Boys just ripping people off stuck in traffic in a avenue that runs alongside the barrio. Check also 5:28 and the rest of the video after that. The victims were luck, for whatever reason these idiots did not bring gunplay into the equation, but it is not unusual for them to shoot first and then take whatever they like.

The gun banning measures of Hugo Chavez have raised crime in Venezuela to levels never thought before. Caracas, the capital city has a murder rate of 108 per 100,000. I don’t think Fallujah was ever that bad. And yet the solution is so simple, but dictators do love their unarmed subjects. So do criminals.

PS: The TV station that aired this video was penalized by the Government for “inciting sedition.”

Yesterday was the anniversary of Hugo Chavez’s revolution. Hugo has been a busy boy. He has shut down TV & Radio stations that dare to present opposing views. He sic’ed his legal (and sometimes illegal) attack dogs on journalist that dare investigate him or his minions for the plethora of crimes that they commit every day. It is the Chavez that has dismantled Police Departments deemed politically unsafe but in doing so, criminals have had a field day murdering their merry way into riches. And of course, to “reduce the increasing crime,” Chavez has disarmed the population in order to “keep them safe.”

The result has been a total debacle in security for the average Venezuelan. He cannot find news other than those approved by the Red Government, He is unsafe both at home and in the streets and he cannot speak his mind and address grievances for fear of being attacked. And being disarmed does not help one single solitary thing.

And while TV stations were present at the time of the happenings above, these images were not transmitted live.Why? Because thanks to Venezuela’s equivalent of The Fairness Doctrine Law, all broadcast media is mandated by law to transmit immediately and concurrently, any government message or event as they demand it. The second all stations were focused on Chavez, the police attacked demonstrators sitting peacefully at a local square. Twitter messages and uploaded pictures to photo hosting accounts or video to Youtube filled the blackout vacuum.  Still the result was the same: Chavez and the Repressive Police won, Subjects lost. And he has announced that Twitter, Facebook and the Internet in general are contra revolutionary tools and as such they need to be addressed.

Jump across the Caribbean and one day in a Tea Party that happened somewhere in the US, a man addressed grievances as per the First Amendment.

With a small reminder of the Second Amendment.

We keep telling you, it ain’t about duck hunting and politicians know it. That is why they are so scared of the 2A.

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.

Found this little pic in DayLife.com which proudly announces that its mission is “organizing and distributing the world’s news.” Yeah right.

You can click on the pic to read the accompanying caption or just read below.

The body of a young man who was shot dead is examined by doctors at the emergency room of a hospital near the Petare slum in Caracas November 14, 2009. Gun laws are lax in Venezuela, where the government estimates there are 6 million firearms circulating among the population of about 28 million. Venezuela’s murder rate is about 8 times that of the United States.

First, to say that the gun laws in Venezuela are lax is akin to say that Mayor Bloomberg and Dianne Feinstein  are Pro-Gun and members of the NRA. To legally buy a gun in Venezuela you must be really connected to the Government and have a crapload  of money or have a level of patience that would send Job to the Loony House… and still be ready to shell some serious bucks. I am not up to date on gun prizes nowadays but the yardstick years ago was US retail price plus $700 to $1,000 extra for any gun at any of the v ery few, very controlled gun stores. You must submit a long form, background and psychological checks, fingerprints, photos and a letter stating why you want a firearm. Now, the permit to own is only issued to an specific gun so you must buy a gun first but can’t take it with you until the paperwork gets approved (if) and even then the gun does not belong to you but it is sort of leased and subject to recall by the Government at any time. Basically you go through the expense and aggravation to buy a gun for the State.  I almost forgot, the choice of guns is very limited to .32 ACP, 38 Special and maybe a double barrel shotgun. 9mm, .45 ACP and other calibers and long guns are Military Weapons forbidden to civilians. Forget about anything full auto.

Second, I am not sure how any “journalist” can actually believe anything coming out of the Venezuelan Government, but Reuters plays along for whatever lazy or sick reason they have. I doubt much that there are 6 million guns in the hands of the rank and file Venezuelan but I do know that the number one provider of firearms to crooks is the own Chavez Government. Chavez has a full fledged campaign against any local law enforcement agency that is somewhat efficient in the prosecution of crime. He has a judge come up with a judicial intervention order and he sends his military goons to take over the stations were the first things to be grabbed are: The guns.  That those guns later appear in the hands of crooks is yet to be explained by the Venezuelan Government.

The next two pictures are from the Tupamaros, a very Pro-Chavez group that has applied violence liberally against those who dare oppose the revolution. Do notice the equipment:

Uzis, MP-5s, pump shotguns, FN-FALs, grenades, military radios… yep, you can by those at any local supermarket.  These goons literally control vast neighborhoods at gunpoint and the police are pretty much useless and unarmed to compete. There might be 6 million guns out there, but they are all in the wrong hands.

Murder rate in Caracas, the capital city is 108 per 100,000. 98% of all murders go unsolved. People consider that the lack of security is the number one problem affecting the country. The fear of dying at the hands of these animals is so great they are willing to do whatever is necessary including giving up any vestigial remains of Rights they may have left. Gun Control does work but only in favor of those lusting for absolute power.