Welcome back Street Survivors and Happy Memorial Day to all ! It sounds like the perfect oxymoron when you say ‘Happy’ Memorial Day, which is a day we remember and celebrate the ultimate sacrifices given freely by our Fallen Hero’s across the battlefields of the world. These men and women were people that stood up when our country needed them, writing a personal check to the U.S.A. up to and including their very lives. This sacrifice directly affected their families and friends, as they gave up their dreams and futures, to protect ours. I celebrate the fact that we still have dedicated patriots like these serving in both peaceful and hostile areas whenever needed. I choose to remember the lives they lived, and the code of honor they represented. Tip of the beret to all who serve. De Oppresso Liber !
In my last article, I promised to discuss a few defensive tools for those that don’t want to carry a personal firearm for protection. I’d like to table that discussion until our next issue, so I can comment on world events that have a direct result on the 2020 presidential election.
Freedom isn’t free, it takes a constant commitment by dedicated citizens every generation to maintain those God-given rights as outlined in our Constitution and Bill of Rights. You don’t have to look very far to see how dictators and tyrants have controlled and killed their own populations. The country of Venezuela just ten years ago was the richest country in South America, due to their vast oil reserves which I’m told exceed that of Saudi Arabia. In 2012 then-President Hugo Chavez directed the Venezuelan National Assembly to enact the “Control of Arms, Munitions, and Disarmament Law” with the aim to disarm all citizens. This new law was sold to the public as a serious effort by the government to reduce violence and deter crime, sound familiar ? The funny thing is, the opposite occurred. In 2001 there were approximately 6,500 murders in Venezuela. After Chavez died, Socialist Dictator Nicholas Maduro took over and continued the anti-gun policies. In 2015, there were roughly 28,000 people murdered, making them the homicide capital of the world, and exceeding the death toll of most warzones. Since then, over 3 million Venezuelans have escaped to nearby Columbia. Despite early amnesty programs encouraging the citizens to trade their guns in for electrical goods, the clear majority of guns were taken away by force, leaving the families no way to defend themselves against the increasing violence. Once the population realized what was happening, they had no way to retaliate against the government takeover. Since 2017, over 200 pro-democracy protesters have been killed in the streets trying to end the oppressive Socialist regime. These protesters were armed mostly with stones, as they had no other way to defend themselves.
Chavez also created government backed street gangs called, ‘collectivos’ that were armed and rode motorcycles around the country trying to subjugate opposition groups. The threat to cops also skyrocketed, with an extensive black market of guns available mostly to violent criminals, not those that would use the weapons to protect their families. In some cases, members of the police and military double as the criminals on the street. Life in Venezuela, in less than ten years has gone from a healthy vibrant economy to a desperate time when you can’t buy bare necessities, and most people can’t even provide a decent burial for their dead.
The bottom line is this issue is not about gun control, it’s about social control. It’s inconvenient for the liberals to try and sell this smoke and mirrors version of gun control here in the U.S., when there’s a real-world example of the exact opposite just 2,200 miles away, only 5 hours by plane.
The fabric of American society has been built on the premise that we are a free nation of citizens, not subjects, and our right to bear arms is not just to protect from foreign enemies, but even those of a domestic nature that would impose their radical wills upon us. Stay free America, fight this Socialist Utopia you hear so much about from the Democratic candidates running for the top job in our government. We owe that much to our future generations, and for those that gave the ultimate sacrifice to protect those freedoms. May God continue to bless America !
Rick ‘Pirate Hunter’ Grover strongly believes we’re all in this together, and the more we learn and train, the better we’ll be prepared for any eventuality. This makes all of us part of an amazing neighborhood team of American Patriots. God Bless America ! Drop us a comment or question at email: StreeTactics@gmail.com
Don’t be a victim… be a Street Survivor !
Please send in your questions and comments to: Streetactics@gmail.com.♦
