The right to own guns in Mexico

Well, the rainy season seems to truly have started last night. It had been hot and (for down here) humid. About 6, there were a couple of real claps of thunder, but the only dark clouds were at the eastern end of the lake and we were still in sunshine. However, about 2 a.m., we had a dandy thunderstorm. I was sound asleep and Barb had closed most of the windows by the time I got up. It rained for over 2 hours. However, the power went out and didn’t get back on until 11:15. However, the air was fresh and free of dust today.

BTW, a couple of weeks ago, Jeff got a web cam. Our computers have built in cameras so that we can now have video conversations using Skype and see the grandsons, Blake and Aiden. It is certainly not the same aa being there, but it is wonderful to be able to see them when they seem to be growing so fast.

One of the things that came up at the Human Rights lecture last week was the right to possess firearms. It is possible for foreigners to have handguns as long as they are .32 caliber or smaller and are kept in one’s home. It is possible to get a license for rifles or shotguns if one belongs to a registered gun club. However, as it was explained, any permit requires quite an elaborate procedure (and lots of persistence) to get the license; having a gun without a license brings a very long prison sentence. What was fascinating to me were the reactions of many Americans in the audience. This particular article in the constitution is a very short one; however, it took an inordinate amount of time to deal with it as the Americans were asking endless questions. There was one woman who must be at least 80 who kept asking questions and going over the details as if she were planning that very day to begin the process. There were older men also who were equally avid in asking details. The gun obsession is really deep in many Americans. They never pay attention to the fact that fairly high proportions of possessors of guns are injured or killed with their own weapons! Having guns gives a very false sense of security. While many Americans express profound shock at the high murder rate in some border cities of Mexico, a large number of American cities have significantly higher murder rates than Mexico. I just read an article that says that Phoenix rivals the worst cities in Mexico when it comes to murder and kidnapping. However, I have seen no travel advisories or warnings about going to Phoenix! I guess the reference in the Bible to seeing the mote in the other person’s eye has a good deal of validity. Many Americans are vocal about faults in other countries without being aware of as bad or worse in their own country; however, end of sermon for today.