I thought civilian weapons couldn't stand up to the military?

Isn't that what the PuSH'ers keep telling us? Well, apparently they can:

"He described the country's violent crime wave as temporary, while in "cities like Detroit , Houston or Dallas , it has become a permanent thing.'' Rivera also called on U.S. authorities to do more to stop illicit firearms exports.

"That's what is killing us,'' Rivera said. "I think if look at the number of arrests, the number of drug seizures, the number of policemen who have risked their lives and who have been killed, I think it shows that our Army and local police forces are engaged in a frontal battle.''

or else Congressman Rivera is full of crap and is trying to divert attention away from his governments' incompetance and incapability of controlling crime:

"The report, made public last week, said that major federal crimes, which include homicides, kidnappings and arms trafficking, rose 25 percent in the first half of 2007 over the same period last year. In 2006, the same crimes had risen 22 percent over the previous year.

Gangland style executions have risen 155 percent since 2001, according to the congressional report.

Crime has been on the rise in Mexico throughout the last decade as drug cartels battle for control of lucrative smuggling routes. But the new findings come at a politically charged time for the Calderon administration, which is also confronting a new threat from an old foe— the shadowy Popular Revolutionary Army or EPR, its Spanish acronym."

But wait!! Which report is true?

Mexico, U.S. claim major victory in drugs war

"TIJUANA, Mexico (Reuters) - Mexico and the United States are claiming an important breakthrough in the drugs war, citing record lows in U.S. cocaine supplies, fewer gangland murders and the capture of several powerful traffickers."

Are the Governments just blowing smoke? Apparently so according to the DEA:

"But some officials and drug trade experts warn that the Mexican cartels are regrouping.

"As cartel leaders are captured, other high-ranking members of the organization step up and take their place. The cartels, particularly the Gulf Cartel, remain strong. The story is not over yet," said Michael Sanders, a Washington-based special agent at the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

A military crackdown launched in Tijuana in January has fizzled out due to a lack of intelligence, local police say."

But remember, it's all due to gun shows in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona selling shotguns and semi-auto's .