Friday, July 1, 2011

Border Patrol Agent's Killer Sentenced To Life

In January 2008, U.S. Border Patrol Agent Luis Aguilar was run down by Mexican drug smugglers as he tried to lay spikes across their vehicle's path to flatten its tires. I wrote about Agent Aguilar's tragic death, and the scant attention it received at first, here.

His killer, Jesus Navarro Montes was apprehended a short time later in Mexico, released by a Mexican judge, arrested again and ultimately extradited to the USA. I wrote about his first arrest, and the scant coverage it received, here.

The killer was convicted in Agent Aguilar's death just this April. Today, it was reported by Fox news, that Navarro was sentenced to life without chance of parole. See the report here:

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/07/01/feds-seek-life-sentence-in-border-agents-death/?test=latestnews

Every now and then justice is done. Though I would rather that justice had been served extra crispy this time, I suppose if they could not execute him then life in prison was the next best thing.

All the best,
Glenn B

Being Responsible For Your Firearms...

...can prevent things like you are about to see in the below video. Reader Mike G sent me a link to a text version of the story and I went and searched it out a bit more, finding the video news cast.



The ultimate responsibility for a firearm is the person who is using it, in most cases the owner, or in this case the officer to whom it was assigned. I am not posting any of this here to bash the police or the police officers who were involved in what must have been this very embarrassing incident of a wayward rifle but rather to remind you that you must be responsible for firearms under your control.

In this case, luckily, passers by flagged down other officers and notified them that a rifle was getting a free ride on the back of a police car. As you can imagine, the officers involved were darned lucky it did not fall off of the car, or that someone did not grab it and take off with it, or worse yet - start shooting with it. As for the officer driving the car, if the story is really as it is being hypothesized right now, I sympathize for her because she will probably be disciplined because this is going to wind up being a big Magilla not caused by her. As for the officer who left it on the car, well - he probably should get what is coming to him in the form of discipline and I would feel little sympathy for him as long as the discipline does not go overboard.

I do wonder though if his being involved in a fatal shooting recently had anything to do with his forgetfulness, especially with regard to firearms. The psychological stress of a shooting incident can effect people in many ways. Regardless, I think he needs to be disciplined in some form and maybe needs some counseling too at least as far as to how to handle firearms responsibly. Brain farts can happen to anyone, I speak by way of personal experience on that one, but you really need to try to avoid them when it comes to guns.

All the best,
Glenn B