Men with Guns

It was in 1998 that I got to see Men with Guns, thanks to a pair of tickets I received from KPFK, in a nice an comfy theater in Sunset Boulevard. It is one thing to see a movie filled with men and women with guns living and dying through a bloody civil war (an obvious reference to Guatemala, of course) and then to get in to your air-conditioned car and drive to the ‘safety’ of your home near the beach. Fast forward to the future or the present, whatever you want to call it. Another thing is to walk a few blocks to see a show with horses and cowboys and be shocked by meeting Real Men with Guns. By the way, these two individuals were not, sadly, the only people with guns.

What is the deal? Why take all the gun power to a family show about horses? The reality of this country makes artistic manifestations pale in comparison. Can art shock us anymore? I believe that the Guatemalan government should buy a few thousand copies of Bowling for Columbine and broadcast it and show it for free around the country. Also, stronger legislation prohibiting guns on the streets is required. Guatemala needs less guns; the world needs less guns.

Bill says:

December 28, 2006 at 8:44 am

I did not notice the guns. My first reaction was to laugh out loud at the thought of a man with his “horse phone”!

patsy poor says:

December 28, 2006 at 9:47 am

the cowboy also has a cell phone and a gold watch. i don’t have to visit you to get tamales rudy. i have 15 in my refregator that came to me by way of Tyson foods.1 dollar each . how does that price compare with the tamale you would buy today? mine are red and wraped in corn shucks. the aliens do a good business selling their foods to their fellow country men and to people like me.

Winston says:

December 28, 2006 at 5:36 pm

Would you be willing to put a sign in front of your home that reads “Gun free and proud to be”?

I am sure the criminals would love to know this before entering.

December 28, 2006 at 7:04 pm

i just noticed he has a club or stick too. is it for the horse or people?

Jerry says:

December 29, 2006 at 1:18 am

In many ways Texas is very influenced by Mexico and Central America. Tamales are a Texas tradition at Christmas and New Years and are sold by all grocery stores and many street vendors here in East Texas. I make red tamales each year during the Christmas hoildays, and I am definately not Latina. The photo of the men with guns, on horses, carrying cell phones could have been in neighborhoods around East Texas. Guatemala’s version of “rednecks”??? Our family had tamales, back beans, fried plantains, and guacamole for Christmas lunch.

Rudy Girón says:

December 31, 2006 at 12:15 am

Bill: The guns are not very obvious in this photo, but they are quite noticeable in the image for December 29th.

Patsy: One Dollar is a great price. The tamales I show here cost Q5 (close to $0.75).

Winston: Yes, I would put the sign if there was a point to it.

Patsy: the little stick is called a fuete in Spanish and it is used on the horse.

Jerry: Buen provecho! Is your family Guatemalan? I asked because of the food you listed.

Meg says:

December 31, 2006 at 4:47 pm

This is a shocking photo, Rudy. And you can see the children all around them. Shivers!

Toby says:

December 28, 2011 at 5:45 am

Awww the hippies are getting so shocked that a man is openly carrying a firearm. So if we take all the legal guns away, then everyone will start kissing and hugging and drawing rainbows, right? Nope. Even in places where guns are banned or restricted (think the UK, Canada, Australia, etc.) one can still get them relatively easily by talking to some people in the “underground”. Biker gang members in Canada commonly have full auto AKs and MAC-10s, even though automatic guns are forbidden here. The only thing that banning guns accomplishes is that it removes the right for lawful citizens to defend themselves with a weapon that is equivalent to what criminals already have.

I highly doubt that the man in question is a mafia hitman or anything. If he had the intent to commit a crime with that gun, he would have it concealed and not openly carry it where everyone including the authorities could see him with it.

Men with Guns

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