Big guns, little guns

When our country was young, it was not uncommon to see a woman with a firearm, or even a child with one. Criminals looking to make easy prey of an unattended homestead left wives and children in a dangerous position. Defend their home and risk death, or allow the lawless to violate your sovereignty. The homes with a weapon equivalent to the predator were able to repel any incoming force and bullies learned which homes to avoid. Today Mexico is terrorized by the same criminal element in the form of cartels. Indigenous communities however, are rising up, and have been since 2011. These small towns and cities are refusing to allow banditos and criminales take what is theirs or murder their loved ones. On one hand the indigenous have a right to be free, but on the other they lack the manpower. Men have been murdered and families are left to cower, run, and expected to submit. Children are easy victims of a cartel, and invaders would think twice about grabbing a nine year old if they can get shot in the face. Unfortunately, we live in a time where kids have to be able to defend their home when the patriarch is away and that is exactly what these communities are doing. They’re arming children. While the rest of the media world reels in the horror of watching children train to defend their towns, they ignore the fact that Mexico’s murder rate has increased 3 years in a row. No one wants to see kids on the battlefield, but if dad’s gone and mom’s either dead or pregnant with a violator’s child, who’s left to protect your sibling?