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Mexican Gov.: Metal Detectors Needed in Vegas Hotels

Mexican Gov.: Metal Detectors Needed in Vegas Hotels
Carlos Joaquin Gonzalez (AP)

John Gizzi By Tuesday, 03 October 2017 09:09 AM EDT Current | Bio | Archive

Carlos Joaquin Gonzalez, the recently elected governor of Mexico’s vacation mecca state Quintana Roo, explained a policy to Newsmax Monday that he strongly believes would ensure the U.S. has no repeat of the tragedy in Las Vegas the day before.

“We have a surveillance command center with more than 5,000 video cameras,” he told Newsmax while in Washington for a meeting at the State Department, “and our hotels and other vacation spots all have metal detectors. No guns get into hotels here, period.”

Known as “C-5,” the surveillance control center and its cameras cover most of Quintana Roo and, according to the governor, “and the people who operate them are attentive and alert.”

Would metal detectors in hotels — near-universal in Quintana Roo — have thwarted the Las Vegas gunman who ended up taking 58 lives, we asked the governor.

“I’m not sure,” he replied, “but it’s something to consider. We have enhanced security in most hotels and guns cannot be brought in without the management knowing it.”

The governor’s suggestions came on the same day Democrats on Capitol Hill began to call for new and strong gun control measures as a response to shooting sprees such as that in Las Vegas (its 59 casualties are the most of any shooting incident in U.S. history).

Asked about the resurgent calls for gun control, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters Monday that “there will be, certainly, time for that policy discussion to take place, but that's not the place that we're in at this moment.”

But Sanders soon made clear that the president was unlikely to change his long-held opposition to gun control measures, saying “one of the things we don’t want to do is to try to create laws that won’t stop these things from happening.” With the traditional impasse between the two major parties over gun control almost sure to remain, several have suggested that the debate may shift to the greater surveillance and use of detecting devices advocated by Gov. Joaquin.

Joaquin, who became governor a year ago, presides over the state that is, in effect, the Las Vegas of Mexico. Roughly 40 percent of tourists coming to Mexico from throughout the world go to Quintana Roo. Among its world-famous vacation spots are those in sunny Cancun, islands Cozumel and Isla Mujeres, and the towns of Bacalar, Playa del Carmen, and Akumal.

Its population (presently 1,529,900) is expanding rapidly due to the construction of hotels to accommodate tourists. According to the State Population Council (Coespo), Quintana Roo’s population will reach 2 million in 2025.

Given this near-certain growth in population, as well as the continuing influx of tourists, the odds on violent crimes are likely to rise in Quintana Roo. Joaquin believes he has begun to take the right steps to deal with these circumstances, including “strengthened police force with modern equipment, better working conditions for law enforcement officials, and greater use of technology.”

John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.

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John-Gizzi
Carlos Joaquin Gonzalez, the recently elected governor of Mexico’s vacation mecca state Quintana Roo, explained a policy to Newsmax Monday that he strongly believes would ensure the U.S. has no repeat of the tragedy in Las Vegas the day before.
las vegas, shooting, carlos joaquin gonzalez
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2017-09-03
Tuesday, 03 October 2017 09:09 AM
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