Calderon blasts Arizona immigration law, seeks assault weapons ban

• Mexican President Felipe Calderon addresses joint meeting of Congress
• He strongly criticizes the Arizona immigration law
• He asks Congress to reinstate the assault weapons ban
• Calderon says challenge to Mexican security has "roots on both sides of the border"

Mexico's Gun Laws for Americans
Last Updated: 10 February 2008
Warning: there is a lot of false information about Mexico's gun laws floating around, including in Wikipedia.

The information in this web page has been verified with Mexican sources. Mexico's gun laws are quite restrictive, and extremely harsh if you run afoul of them. Unlike Canada, where you're likely to be turned away at the border if you have unauthorized firearms or ammo, unwary visitors to Mexico have languished in Mexican jails for five years due to a single spent casing in their vehicle.

It is true that Mexico's constitution has a Right to Keep and Bear Arms for its citizens. However, it is quite a bit more restrictive than the USA's Second Amendment: In the original 1917 Constitution, Mexican RKBA was:

(Unofficial translation) Article 10. The inhabitants of the United Mexican States are entitled to have arms of any kind in their possession for their protection and legitimate defense, except such as are expressly forbidden by law, or which the nation may reserve for the exclusive use of the Army, Navy, or National Guard; but they may not carry arms within inhabited places without complying with police regulations.

This right has been substantially abridged by subsequent amendments, and now reads: (Unofficial translation) Article 10. The inhabitants of the United Mexican States have a right to arms in their homes, for security and legitimate defense, with exception of those prohibited by Federal Law and those reserved for the exclusive use of the Army, Navy, Air Force and National Guard. Federal law will determine the cases, conditions, requirements, and places in which the carrying of arms will be authorized to the inhabitants. Note: some sources (including Wikipedia) incorrectly state that the 1917, more liberal, RKBA is the current version; and that the current, more restrictive, version is the original. This is incorrect.

Mexican RKBA has become more restrictive, not less! Mexican federal law regarding firearms and explosives

(Unofficial translation) Article 27. The right to bear arms will only be authorized for foreigners when, in addition to satisfying the requirements indicated in the previous article, they accredit their status of "Inmigrados" [equivalent to permanent residents], except in the case of temporary license permits for tourists with sports-related intentions. What this all means: Visitors do not have RKBA rights without a license. This license is only issued for "sporting purposes". Mexican citizens and "inmigrados" have RKBA in their homes, and only of permitted firearms. The privilege of carrying a firearm outside of one's home is limited to what is authorized by Mexican federal law.

All privately-owned firearms are registered with the Mexican army. Article 11 of Ley Federal de Armas de Fuego y Explosivos lists prohibited "military firearms" in Mexico. They include: * anything full-auto * any semi-auto handgun larger than 380 (e.g., 9mm, .38 Super, or larger) * any revolver in .357 Magnum or larger * any rifle in larger than .30 caliber * any shotgun larger than 12ga or with a barrel shorter than 25". Where there are prohibitions, there are penalties.

The penalties for possession of prohibited "military firearms" include:
3-12 months in prison for bayonets, sabers and lances,
1-7 years for .357 magnum revolvers and any revolver larger than a .38 Special, and 2-12 years for other prohibited weapons.

You don't want to run afoul of this law! Members of hunting clubs may be able to acquire hunting guns in an otherwise-prohibited caliber. There is one gun store in the country (in Mexico City). It takes about a month for your purchase to be approved. Approval will be denied once you own more than 2 handguns or 10 long guns. Carry permits exist for outside of your home, but generally not for mere mortals. Even if you get a carry permit, the biggest that you can carry is 380.

Copyright © 2007-2008 Panda Programming

http://www.panda.com/mexicoguns/

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Mexico's Immigration Law: Let's Try It Here at Home
by J. Michael Waller
05/08/2006

Mexico has a radical idea for a rational immigration policy that most Americans would love. However, Mexican officials haven’t been sharing that idea with us as they press for our Congress to adopt the McCain-Kennedy immigration reform bill. That's too bad, because Mexico, which annually deports more illegal aliens than the United States does, has much to teach us about how it handles the immigration issue.

Under Mexican law, it is a felony to be an illegal alien in Mexico. At a time when the Supreme Court and many politicians seek to bring American law in line with foreign legal norms, it’s noteworthy that nobody has argued that the U.S. look at how Mexico deals with immigration and what it might teach us about how best to solve our illegal immigration problem.

Mexico has a single, streamlined law that ensures that foreign visitors and immigrants are:

* in the country legally; * have the means to sustain themselves economically; * not destined to be burdens on society;

* of economic and social benefit to society;

* of good character and have no criminal records; and * contributors to the general well-being of the nation. The law also ensures that:

* immigration authorities have a record of each foreign visitor;

* foreign visitors do not violate their visa status; * foreign visitors are banned from interfering in the country’s internal politics;

* foreign visitors who enter under false pretenses are imprisoned or deported; * foreign visitors violating the terms of their entry are imprisoned or deported;

* those who aid in illegal immigration will be sent to prison. Who could disagree with such a law? It makes perfect sense.

The Mexican constitution strictly defines the rights of citizens -- and the denial of many fundamental rights to non-citizens, illegal and illegal. Under the constitution, the Ley General de Población, or General Law on Population, spells out specifically the country's immigration policy. It is an interesting law -- and one that should cause us all to ask, Why is our great southern neighbor pushing us to water down our own immigration laws and policies, when its own immigration restrictions are the toughest on the continent?

If a felony is a crime punishable by more than one year in prison, then Mexican law makes it a felony to be an illegal alien in Mexico. If the United States adopted such statutes, Mexico no doubt would denounce it as a manifestation of American racism and bigotry.

We looked at the immigration provisions of the Mexican constitution. [1] Now let's look at Mexico's main immigration law. Mexico welcomes only foreigners who will be useful to Mexican society:

* Foreigners are admitted into Mexico "according to their possibilities of contributing to national progress." (Article 32)

* Immigration officials must "ensure" that "immigrants will be useful elements for the country and that they have the necessary funds for their sustenance" and for their dependents. (Article 34)

* Foreigners may be barred from the country if their presence upsets "the equilibrium of the national demographics," when foreigners are deemed detrimental to "economic or national interests," when they do not behave like good citizens in their own country, when they have broken Mexican laws, and when "they are not found to be physically or mentally healthy." (Article 37)

* The Secretary of Governance may "suspend or prohibit the admission of foreigners when he determines it to be in the national interest." (Article 38)

Mexican authorities must keep track of every single person in the country: * Federal, local and municipal police must cooperate with federal immigration authorities upon request, i.e., to assist in the arrests of illegal immigrants. (Article 73)

* A National Population Registry keeps track of "every single individual who comprises the population of the country," and verifies each individual's identity. (Articles 85 and 86)

* A national Catalog of Foreigners tracks foreign tourists and immigrants (Article 87), and assigns each individual with a unique tracking number (Article 91).

Foreigners with fake papers, or who enter the country under false pretenses, may be imprisoned:

* Foreigners with fake immigration papers may be fined or imprisoned. (Article 116)

* Foreigners who sign government documents "with a signature that is false or different from that which he normally uses" are subject to fine and imprisonment. (Article 116) Foreigners who fail to obey the rules will be fined, deported, and/or imprisoned as felons:

* Foreigners who fail to obey a deportation order are to be punished. (Article 117)

* Foreigners who are deported from Mexico and attempt to re-enter the country without authorization can be imprisoned for up to 10 years. (Article 118)

* Foreigners who violate the terms of their visa may be sentenced to up to six years in prison (Articles 119, 120 and 121).

Foreigners who misrepresent the terms of their visa while in Mexico -- such as working with out a permit -- can also be imprisoned. Under Mexican law, illegal immigration is a felony. The General Law on Population says,

* "A penalty of up to two years in prison and a fine of three hundred to five thousand pesos will be imposed on the foreigner who enters the country illegally." (Article 123)

* Foreigners with legal immigration problems may be deported from Mexico instead of being imprisoned. (Article 125)

* Foreigners who "attempt against national sovereignty or security" will be deported. (Article 126) Mexicans who help illegal aliens enter the country are themselves considered criminals under the law:

* A Mexican who marries a foreigner with the sole objective of helping the foreigner live in the country is subject to up to five years in prison. (Article 127)

* Shipping and airline companies that bring undocumented foreigners into Mexico will be fined. (Article 132)

All of the above runs contrary to what Mexican leaders are demanding of the United States. The stark contrast between Mexico's immigration practices versus its American immigration preachings is telling. It gives a clear picture of the Mexican government's agenda: to have a one-way immigration relationship with the United States. Let's call Mexico's bluff on its unwarranted interference in U.S. immigration policy. Let's propose, just to make a point, that the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) member nations standardize their immigration laws by using Mexico's own law as a model.

This article was first posted at CenterforSecurityPolicy.org.

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=14632

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