Venezuelan Libertarians Say Gun Bans Enable, Empower Maduro

By Cam Edwards

AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos

Raise your hand if you knew that there was a libertarian think tank in Venezuela.

Okay, put your hand down, know-it-all. I, for one, was pretty surprised to learn that such a thing exists in the workers paradise of Venezuela, but it’s true. It’s called Econintech, and its founders recently spoke to the website 71Republic about a wide variety of topics, including how the country’s ban on private ownership of firearms is empowering the Maduro regime. Raphael Acevedo, one of the founders of Econintech is a Venezuelan native who’s now a research assistant at Texas Tech University’s Free Market Institute. He says it’s clear that gun control in the country has benefitted its corrupt leaders, not its beleaguered citizens.

Before Chavez, the ownership of guns was restricted, very controlled by the government. But when Chavez arrived, he eliminated completely your right to have a gun. So it’s very difficult to really enjoy your own self-defense if you have no weapons. At the moment, Maduro is supported by maybe 15% of the population. The other 85% do not support the Maduro regime. But the great problem is that 15% has 100% of the guns. Politicians protect the socialist …Read the Rest

Source:: Bearing Arms