Laredo, Texas is a border town where I grew up. Years ago I used to cross the bridge and play baseball with kids who lived in Nuevo Laredo. When our ranch worked cattle we had men from across the Rio Grande chasing strays and doing the hard work alongside the American cowboys.
There were also times when Webb County had more than its share of rattlesnakes and we all carried guns on the ranch. Everyone knew there were "wetbacks" (the term commonly used then without today's negative connotation) working on the ranches and who returned to their homes when the work was finished. And guns were a tool, more often than not, loaded with rat shot so all you had to do was point them at a snake and pull the trigger, one didn't have to be a sharpshooter. But, that was a long time ago.
Recently Arizona, another border state, has taken bold steps in matters of immigration and the right to bear arms. I believe in enforcing our immigration laws and in the right to own a firearm but I also believe the path down which these new state laws are heading may create more problems than they will solve.
One new law will give local police sweeping powers in regard to undocumented persons. Currently, immigration offenses are violations of federal, not state, law, and local law enforcement officers only can inquire about a person's immigration status if that person is suspected of another crime. However, Arizona police will have the right to stop anyone on "reasonable suspicion" that they may be an illegal immigrant and can arrest them if they are not carrying a valid driver's license or identity papers.
Picture this, an older man of Mexican descent, who has seen his small town grow and become a Mecca for retired folks, is walking to the store to pick up some milk. It's only a block or so to the store so all he has with him is a few dollars to make his purchase. But he has brown skin and a weathered appearance from years of hard work to send his children to college, and the local, enthusiastic lawman stops him. Since he has no identification with him his trip to the store turns into a trip to jail until a family member or a friend can bring down his ID so he can prove he's a legal resident. Chances are he is either a native born citizen or received his citizenship papers before the young arresting officer was born.
Last year Arizona changed its gun laws to allow loaded guns in bars and restaurants and prohibiting property owners from banning guns in parking areas. Now, a new law will make it legal for U.S. citizens 21 and older to carry a concealed firearm in the state without a permit and to forego background checks and classes that are now required. It is already legal to carry a firearm openly in the Grand Canyon state. Jan Brewer, Arizona's governor, says the law "restores constitutional rights."
The new law goes into effect 90 days after the Legislature adjourns, which could happen in the next couple of weeks, according to The Arizona Republic, a Phoenix newspaper.
In the past a dozen previous attempts were tried but each time the state's governor at the time vetoed the bill. Arizona will now join the states of Alaska and Vermont in allowing concealed weapons without a permit.
In this One Person's View, maybe Arizona should ban motorized vehicles and return to horses and mules for the primary mode of transportation, for it seems to me we are traveling back in time to the days of the Wild West.
I love the independence that forged the west. Along with it was a tolerance that helped the west to grow nearly two centuries ago. I also know times and circumstances have changed drastically and bold measures must be taken. But they must be tempered with not-so-common common sense. And, more importantly they must not be taken out of fear.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt once said: "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself - nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance."
While we are not retreating, perhaps, we might be allowing fear to be responsible for regressing.
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