SECRETO A VOCES

At an average of two to three reported kidnappings a day, Mexico’s been the leader in secuestros throughout much of this new century. But they have a solution to change that, the government just needs to let certain prejudices go.

I’ve been watching this Mexico City case of the 14 year old kid, Fernando Marti; snatched from his bodyguard and held until the family came up with some $5 million. The family put the money up; the kidnappers never responded, the boy’s body found rotting in the trunk of a car. In the end, the cops were involved, just like they’re involved in every illicit case you see in this country.

In Hermosillo a couple years ago, the body of a young girl was placed in a suitcase with a note to the parents, “I’m sorry; you should have paid the ransom.”

It’s time for Mexico to accept what it does not want to accept. It’s time for Mexico to arm its populace.

Mexico loves to blame the U.S. for its gun woes; and the American press, most of whom seem to have never picked up a gun in their life, are only happy to give voice to the blame.

The headline usually goes something like: "One hundred percent of killings committed with U.S. guns.”

That’s usually followed by some Mexican Congressman blaming the “gun culture” of the U.S. for his country’s woes, then some agent from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, an agency who, as an agency, thinks it’d be best no Americans had firearms, and who, as agents, can’t keep enough guns in their homes and encourage their friends to do so as well.

All nonsense, I say.

Mexico only allows its citizens to carry up to a .32-calibre pistol, about enough to punch holes in paper with, and that only under strict, and expensive, Mexican Army permissions.

But here’s the thing, and maybe it’s something Pres. Felipe Calderón’s cabinet won’t recognize, just like no other Mexican president ever has: the criminals are already armed. They’re already carrying automatic rifles, AKs, ARs, FALs, Uzis and Saturday night specials. The sad thing is, they don’t particularly need them against normal citizens, most of whom are unarmed. A study conducted last month showed that only 17,000 new gun permits were disseminated throughout the country this year.

In the Marti family’s case, weapons wouldn’t have helped, the pigs were wearing AFI uniforms and set up a fake checkpoint.

But what also doesn’t help is that the criminal element threatening the stability of this country knows its victims are mostly helpless.

It’s worth keeping in mind that the checkpoint was set up in a busy, busy city in the middle of the morning and no real AFIs seemed to notice. And if they did notice, they didn’t give a damn.

Mexico’s going to have to accept certain realities about what it’s public security infrastructure can do. And it’s going to have to accept what its police are willing to do. Last week in Nogales, Sonora, local cops refused to get involved in a gunfight between two drug trafficking gangs, choosing to ignore the 060 emergency calls once the Sinaloans started lobbing frags.

Guns are seen as very American inventions, but Mexico has a gun culture, and a long, brutal one. Polite society just doesn’t like to  mention it. The middle and lower classes can only fantasize it.

Mexico disarmed its populace long ago; but we know how that turned out. If Calderón wants to relieve some steam from the pressure cooker, he’s going to have lift the lid on gun restriction.