Gun Control Empowering Venezuelan Gangs in Colorado

September 6, 2024

A brutal wave of gang violence has descended on Colorado, as Venezuelan prison gangs, led by the infamous Tren de Aragua, have overtaken apartment complexes and unleashed terror in Aurora, a suburb of Denver. This alarming development is the direct result of President Joe Biden’s open border policies, Denver’s sanctuary city stance, and Colorado’s relentless push for gun control—creating a perfect storm where criminals are armed and law-abiding citizens are left defenseless.

Aurora, a peaceful bedroom community east of Denver, has become ground zero for the violent operations of Tren de Aragua, a gang born in the lawless Venezuelan prison system. The gang has seized multiple apartment complexes, turning them into strongholds for their illicit activities and leaving residents in fear. These developments come despite Aurora’s efforts to resist Denver’s sanctuary city policies, which have made the Mile-High City one of the largest destinations for illegal immigration in the nation.

Denver’s open arms for illegal immigrants have resulted in over 40,000 migrants flooding the city since December 2022, straining public services and creating a breeding ground for criminal elements like Tren de Aragua. The gang, which has been recruiting within the U.S. among migrant communities, has spread its violent influence across multiple states, but it’s in Colorado where the impact is being felt most acutely.

President Biden’s open border policies have only exacerbated the situation. Gang leaders like Jhonardy Jose Pacheco-Chirino, known as “Galleta” or “Cookie,” were able to cross the southern border without any resistance. Despite his criminal past, Pacheco-Chirino was released into the U.S. and quickly set up shop in Aurora, where he and his gang members have been linked to violent assaults and shootings. Thanks to weak immigration enforcement, gang members like Pacheco-Chirino are free to terrorize American communities.

But Biden’s border policies are only one part of the problem. Colorado’s left-wing gun control laws have ensured that the only people with guns in the state are criminals, while law-abiding citizens are stripped of their Second Amendment rights. In 2024 alone, Colorado passed a slew of gun control measures, including:

  • HB24-1353, which requires gun dealers to obtain a state permit, undergo background checks, and implement stringent security measures.
  • HB24-1174, which forces concealed carry permit holders to undergo expanded training, including live-fire exercises, before exercising their right to self-defense.
  • SB24-131, which bans firearms in “sensitive spaces” like government buildings, polling places, and schools, further limiting where law-abiding citizens can protect themselves.

These laws, hailed as “gun safety” measures by the left, have effectively disarmed law-abiding Coloradans, while criminals like the members of Tren de Aragua face no such restrictions. The gang has taken over apartment complexes in Aurora, using them as bases of operation for violent crime, while residents and property owners are left vulnerable and unable to defend themselves.

The tragic irony is that Denver’s sanctuary city policies and the Colorado legislature’s gun control laws have made it easier for gangs to operate while making it harder for law-abiding citizens to fight back. What’s happening in Aurora is just a glimpse of what’s to come if these policies are allowed to continue unchecked.

Colorado, once known for its rugged individualism and respect for personal freedoms, has now become a haven for criminal gangs and a nightmare for residents who are unable to protect their families. The state’s gun control laws have done nothing to stop the criminals, who continue to acquire firearms illegally while Coloradans are forced to jump through hoops to exercise their constitutional rights.

The rise of Venezuelan prison gangs in Colorado is a direct consequence of the failed policies of the Biden administration, Denver’s sanctuary city status, and the Colorado legislature’s misguided gun control efforts. While criminals run rampant, residents are left defenseless—stripped of their rights by the very politicians who claim to be protecting them.

Texas Gun Rights is working tirelessly to ensure that the rights of law-abiding Texans are restored and that we can defend ourselves in the face of rising crime. It’s critical the policies that have turned Colorado into a haven for gangs never make their way to the Lone Star State.

Stay vigilant and support Texas Gun Rights as we fight to protect your right to bear arms and defend yourself against the lawlessness enabled by open borders and gun control.

Pro-Gun Brandon Herrera Forces Tony Gonzales to Runoff

March 15, 2024 

Once the smoke cleared after the Republican primary in Texas’ 23rd Congressional District on March 5, 2024, incumbent Congressman Tony Gonzales (R-TX) and his challenger Brandon Herrera ended up as the top two finishers, picking up 45.4% and 24.2% of the vote respectively. Since neither obtained over 50% of the vote, Gonzales and Herrera are headed to a runoff on May 28, 2024.

This runoff is no random political development. It’s the result of Gonzales’s sketchy legislative track record on gun rights over the past two years of his congressional term. 

Since being elected to Congress in 2020 to represent Texas’ 23rd district, Gonzales has proven himself to be a loyal minion of the DC ruling class. The Uvalde shooting of May 24, 2022, was when Gonzales demonstrated his true colors on the right to bear arms. 

The shooting took place in Gonzales’s district, which naturally had a major impact on him. Instead of soberly processing the situation and focusing on the Uvalde Police Department’s cowardly decision to stand down and not deal with the mass murderer who slaughtered 21 people in a timely manner, Gonzales succumbed to the corporate media’s immediate push for gun control by playing an instrumental role in the passage of the “Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.”

This gun control package was championed by Republican Senator John Cornyn and Democrat Senator Chris Murphy in the United States Senate, and was ultimately passed with bipartisan support after weak-kneed Republicans like Gonzales got on board. 

Joe Biden described the BSCA as “the most significant gun [control] legislation to pass Congress in 30 years.”

This bill secured $750 million in federal funding for state “red flag” gun confiscation order programs that offer no due process protections. Essentially, an individual who is suspected of posing a threat to themselves or others could have their firearms confiscated without even a judicial hearing. Additionally, this bill allocated $300 million to facilitate the entry of millions of juvenile records into NICS and the reporting on them without any regard for due process. 

$200 million would also go towards the states to handle their new juvenile records reporting requirement, while $100 million would be allocated towards meeting the “additional resource needs” of the NICS system. Such a move represents a significant expansion of the NICS database, which many gun owners perceive as a step towards establishing a de facto gun registry. 

To make matters worse, the BSCA could potentially subject countless lawful gun dealers to criminal penalties. This law establishes new language for a “dealer”, thereby making numerous Federal Firearms License (FFL) holders criminally liable for “dealing without a license” for selling firearms that are later used in criminal acts. The definition of an FFL is broadened to encompass any individual who sells firearms to “predominantly earn a profit” as opposed to anyone who engages in such activity to make a living. In effect, many private gun sales could be subject to criminal penalties. 

These among other provisions make the BSCA a gun control abomination that no self-respecting conservative should ever support. Gonzales portrays himself as a staunch conservative, but in a moment of great political tension, he folded like a lawn chair. 

Thankfully grassroots conservatives in the Lone Star State did not ignore Gonzales’s Second Amendment treachery.

Gonzales’s challenger, Brandon Herrera, made his name as a firearms manufacturer and host of a YouTube channel that has over 3 million subscribers. 

Herrera felt compelled to throw his hat in the political ring because Gonzales had not lived up to his constituents’ pro-gun values during his time in office. Undoubtedly, Herrera is the candidate of the grassroots in this runoff election as he runs on a platform to fully restore the Second Amendment. 

Primaries continue serving a useful purpose as a way to expose the lackluster track record of establishment politicians and punish them for their misbehavior at the ballot box.  Primary elections are one of the democratic mechanisms that pro-gun activists can still use to keep the political class in line and even knock some of their minions if the right political stars align. These elections should not be overlooked. 

The undeniable reality of politics is that when politicians are allowed to legislate in an anti-liberty manner, they will only escalate their efforts to destroy our liberties. Only dedicated grassroots activists who are willing to inflict political pain on bad politicians will restore the sacred liberties that have been stripped from us over the past century. 

Brandon Herrera represents the will of Texas grassroots voters who have yearned for no compromise, pro-Second Amendment leadership. The pro-gun YouTuber upsetting Gonzales on March 28 will send a strong message to Texas’ political class that Second Amendment betrayals will no longer be tolerated. 

This is one race that pro-gun observers should observe with great interest.  

Call Tony Gonzales at (210) 806-9920. Tell him to reverse course and start standing up for the Second Amendment!

 

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