Guns in Puerto Rico: Locked and Loaded in the Tropics

At 91 percent, Puerto Rico has the world’s highest overall percentage of homicides by firearms. But this statistic hasn’t stopped the NRA from setting up shop, establishing their 51st chapter in Puerto Rico.
Puerto Rico’s sky-high murder rates and extremely strict gun laws have only encouraged the association to fight for their constitutional rights, and arm the island with more and more guns. In 2014 alone, gun permit applications doubled, possession of guns tripled, and licenses for shooting ranges quadrupled the previous year's numbers.
VICE News traveled to Puerto Rico to look at the rising tide of firearms that are changing the commonwealth and the culture. We met up with street thugs, the Puerto Rican SWAT team, pro-gun advocates, a gun control politician, and a women’s gun group, to find out how the NRA’s 51st and newest testing ground is working out.
Read "A Former Marine Is Being Prosecuted on Kidnapping and Gun Charges - and the NRA Is Taking His Case” - bit.ly/1xmv7Hy
Read "'Rambo' Has PTSD: The Strange Case of an International DEA Murder-For-Hire Drug Sting" - bit.ly/1EUC5Je
Watch "Peru: The New King of Cocaine (Full Length)” - bit.ly/1AiOHUh
Watch "Murder and Corruption in Trinidad" - bit.ly/1AmD8il
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[@jessewatson6433]

That was a MAC-10 Not an uzi, and the Glock does not have an "internal hammer" it is striker fired

[@randysavage1]

🤣

[@donaldsmith5286]

@Rob Cartesian He's not expecting anyone to know shit . He's telling you

[@donaldsmith5286]

I don't know. But u sound right. Tell these stupid Muthafuckas.

[@Sebastian-gv1ct]

Huh

[@Ambtrannight2023]

Don't expect much firearms knowledge from reporters, I don't.

[@Munroe031]

Pulls a MAC 10 off the shelf, calls it an Uzi. Then states its the "Preferred weapon of Israeli special forces". What a clown.

[@tomandrews6677]

Legion Etrangere I know right 😂 And 'hacks your glock' by changing the 'hammer' 😂 😂

[@maxparker1321]

Dies lmao 😂 that shit was funny 😂

Legion Etrangere what about the part at 8:25 where he said ak-47 hold shot gun rounds💀

[@mengels]

Yep, total misread. Should be noted-Kaj Larsen was allegedly a SEAL(?)....mmm.

[@theonemesis5217]

DAMN RIGHT! YOU TELL THEM BRO!

[@ancientphoenix1946]

I love Puerto Rican people very much, I wanted to go on the record and say Puerto Ricans are more than welcome in the country of Poland!!! my home is your home. Ps, please bring delicious food in amazing music with you I love you and God bless Puerto Rico I pray for you.

[@vientosdeguerra5594]

My grandma is polish but i'm Puerto Rican, Thanks

[@LiquidSpartan117]

when can I visit?

[@vientosdeguerra5594]

@@LiquidSpartan117 you can go already

[@jeremax2048]

The island is beautiful but watch out whit how are your “panas o compañeros” and don’t get to close to “Caseríos”,Theres where the majority of the drugs an guns are.

[@stikupartist3698]

You know some of us are brown and black right? I don't want any surprise when I visit.

[@DonnieDonnie1]

He doesn’t even know what guns he’s holding 😂

[@nicolasreed21]

He may be uninformed but he wasn't obnoxious or biased like the reporters in other Vice documentaries

[@applejuice9468]

He thinks an Ingram smg is an uzi lmaooo.

[@therandomguy5864]

@@applejuice9468 he doesn’t know what gun he is holding because he Dosent research guns every single second of his life.

[@ishaukthedoc5686]

Y’all know this dude is literally a former navy seal right? Talk about not doing your research

[@jimbeam8338]

@@ishaukthedoc5686 So that magically makes him correct?

[@Valivali94]

I am not saying that no gun restriction is the way to go, but in a country with such high crime rates, why is the government making it so hard and expensíve to get a legal gun? They only promote illegal guns that way...

[@hag12100]

Because it's about control and power. I personally believe that you're a law abiding citizen, you should be able to own a select-fire, suppressors, and short barreled weapons. When citizens have more options to defend themselves, crime drops; whereas more restrictions inhibits that ability.

[@_Patronus_]

Commonwealth*

[@captainsaucer]

Orangeman51001 NO Sir it's pronounced Libtardedwealth

[@_Patronus_]

***** Maybe statehood would solve it? I don't think (well at least I hope) that the federal government would allow that severe corruption.

[@_Patronus_]

***** Never really thought of that. Isn't adding seats something that they can do? Two more in the Senate and five more in the House?

[@compositebook7874]

Puerto Rico is on veteran difficulty

[@benjaminfranklyn604]

@Josue Martinez I'm from PR born and raised there ,and yes is worst, one time I saw the goons from project having a lunch shoot out with the pr police. An if you live on a project building on another town ,don't go to another project building cause they will mistake you with one of those goon from the project you live at if they don't get along. Crime scence will find 100+ shell casing every time a murder goes down.

[@xBioSaturn]

Survival mode*

[@topdrilla7147]

Nigga that’s ah switch😂 them mf to clean

[@CalmCuB]

Recruit compared 2 Central America and Mexico

[@xvxxivxxi8694]

Composite420 book ahahahahaahahahah

[@cryosphere1130]

*gets to Puerto Rico * *Boss music starts playing * *WELCOME TO THE TROPICS MOTHERFU-*

[@sir7851]

Im saying its wild out here 😂

[@NamelessKnightt]

This is actually very accurate, you can get robbed even at an hotel

[@wickedcoolbro]

Yeah it’s more dangerous in the south of the island, especially Ponce. Still love it here

[@guy_in_the_moon]

as someone who lives there , this is true

[@VMNSK]

Bro these switches were in Puerto Rico before the states 💀

[@pyrobro3665]

real shi😂

[@buckets267]

Yesirrr PR is not to be fw

[@glockho]

i was around 10 years old when i first heard abt switches on glocks and now im 19, wayyy earlyy 😂

[@dionelreyes529]

Puerto Rico is actually pretty nice. The problem is that the media only focuses on the places that have this problem. Most of the times if you don't mess with drugs you don't get murdered.

[@Krod1995]

that's true that's why mainstream media is such a bitch and I don't like it how many countries do it to their own when especially they know they're bullshitters

[@deadacid514]

Dionel Reyes you must have grown up in the good parts of the island lol.

[@dionelreyes529]

dead acid not in The Richter partes but not in a caserío(hood).

[@zuper5842]

Dionel Reyes exactly😂

[@zuper5842]

It doesn't rlly matter where u live. I live in Puerto Rico and in a pretty good neighborhood and anyways sometimes I can fucking automatic gunfire like rlly but its still true that the media focuses too much on the bad stuff.

[@edwincosme3543]

Anybody Else Notiçe How He Put His Finger Prints All On The Guns😂

[@rogercougle3042]

Yeah stupid

[@TAZ0300]

Edwin Cosme I was thinking the same thing so I’m glad you said something

[@TAZ0300]

Why? At least half of those guns get destroyed, And the other half of those guns corrupt police sell back to highest paying gang members or individuals. It’s not a secret on the island everyone knows it. As a Puerto Rican from Puerto Rico I know what I’m talking about

[@thapuksvk21]

Edwin Cosme 😂😂😂

[@dewardrodriguez9019]

Boy they don't care,they know that soon or later is jail or dead..

[@georgev5766]

I was there around 2004 when Gilberto El Pollo (one of the drug lords in metro area of San Juan) was killed. It was chaotic and the range of high caliber weapons I saw in Cataño was insane. It was rumored that most of them were bought from the marine base in Vieques. That year, there were more people killed in PR than in Iraq. Remember this was the height of Iraq war too. Insane!

[@ktano007]

Pa los tiempos de guerra… soy de cataño

[@daayamartinez9900]

:0 Wow yo era de naguabo dónde le explotan la cabeza a los abusadores a cada rato. 😬👎🏻

[@LuckyFullPR]

@@daayamartinez9900 es cuestion de perspectiva, seguro que los que explotan cabeza a los abusadores abusan tambien.

[@daayamartinez9900]

@@LuckyFullPR Asimismo xD es parte de lo mismo.

[@ramonortiz3095]

I remember gilbert el pollo he got killed inside a home depot

[@johnpanc]

Theprocess to get a gun legally here in Puerto Rico is so difficult because the worst criminals on the Island are the government.

[@josephmac2386]

Not anymore it's easy

[@luismartinez-vj8sr]

A lot easy I got mine in a month

[@hollywoodhispanic4549]

@@luismartinez-vj8srcomo te fue el proceso

[@luismartinez-vj8sr]

@@hollywoodhispanic4549 fácil , llama armerias en tu área aver si te hacen el proceso y sales mejor. Por lo menos a donde yo fui hicieron todo. Coji las clases de uso y manejo , después en la armeria me dieron todo lo que necesito para ir al cuartel de policía. Como la firma del licenciado, los sellos , foto 2x2 etcétera… y después en el cuartel lleve lo que me dieron , me hicieron huellas digitales y ya esta. Después que no tengas antecedentes penales te lo dan. Lo demás es esperar.

[@adrienperie6119]

*The annoying thing with male journalists is that when it comes to guns, they feel like they have to pretend like they even have a clue what they're holding.* 3:07 That's not an UZI, that's a MAC-10. And the Israeli special forces have dumped the UZI like 15 years ago. 3:42 There has never been an internal hammer in a glock, glocks are striker fired. And its not a hack, its a full auto backplate. 8:03 An AK frame that fires shotgun shells ? Its called a saiga 12. Journalists and guns = worst love story than twilight. This documentary = proof that tight gun control is as much of a failed experiment leading to the birth of a malformed kid with 20 anuses as twilight.

[@adrienperie6119]

***** A navy seal secretary ? I mean seriously a proper navy seal wouldn't mistake an UZI for a MAC-10, its not even the same caliber. Same thing with the glock backplate and the saiga 12.

[@adrienperie6119]

***** Vice is quite a strange "media outlet". They have a few awesome journalists like the guy who made "This is what winning looks like", and at the same time they also have the crappiest hipster journalists you could think of, like the guy who swimmed on camera with pink panties, who looks like hamilton. Hamilton by the way....

[@chwder50]

I love how Vice sends the most uneducated journalists to cover a topic they have no idea about. I could have done better.

[@mktulpa]

Bambamrubble He may be a Lieutenant in the Seals, but he doesn't know the difference between a MAC-10 and an Uzi.

[@The_Osprey]

Shut up wannabe gun snob.

[@TheRedshift007]

I am Puerto Rican and I have only one thing to say; if there isn't reform or just plain expulsion of the current government into the government that our founding father gave us; which is a constitutional republic in both Puerto Rico and the states; I can guaranty that in the near future we will live in a totalitarian form of government. This is extremely alarming and depressing because most people live in the here and now and do not look into the future to see the consequences of our actions as a society today may cause tomorrow. The moral decay in both Puerto Rico and the states is rampant and nations begin to crumble when the real concept of family is destroyed because that is our building block. The 2nd amendment was set forth to protect ourselves from both foreign and domestic harm. That is invading nations, out of control governments like the one we see today and criminal assailants. God bless all who read this.

[@MechanicWolf85]

true, my brother true, PR its falling big time, and people dont care soon we will end up in a dictatorship goverment and a crasy island full of criminals. many of us dont want to end up like cuba or venesuela/mexico but if the goverment dont care the people dont care. our schools are garbadge, our foods are posening, our medical atentions are bad (medics literaly let you die, no joke), and we have way less workers and jobs to take. this island its a dissaster near its fall.

[@MiguelAngel24ful]

Are you living in PR?

[@cculb1]

TheRedshift007 It sounds like you guys got a good break last week then. Congratulations! concealednation.org/2015/06/breaking-court-victory-gives-puerto-rico-permitless-concealed-carry-and-open-carry/

[@C02ver]

What's the song at 5:55?

[@carmonajoselon]

Cd Dvt mini 14 the one alpacino have on the heat movie

[@SeikoXIII]

I can confirm this being Puertorican and living in Bayamon.

[@matth23e2]

I've visited Puerto Rico and lots of times you'll have a nice, modern city, people driving nice cars, living in nice houses, etc., then you go 15 minutes out of the city and you see houses falling apart and old abandoned buildings everywhere.

[@prancer1803]

@@brianroldan3269 no, before Maria too

[@umbrafigueroa9738]

I’ve always said that we need to demolish about 30% of the buildings that are up.

[@diegodiego4697]

Because the only thing you see is SAN JUAN the islands biggest tourist attraction the real island is to the west and it actually gets moved the more rural you get

[@earthandwind820]

@@diegodiego4697 The western portion of the island is one of the nicest and has no where near as much crime as the eastern portion of the island. It’s far cleaner and better put together.

[@emile-a2394]

Yep, you're on the right place😂

[@silverfox4557]

The host doesn't know a thing about guns.

[@maxpayneful4328]

Yeah I got really annoyed when he called that MAC an uzi and said its 9mm. Mac 10s are 45.

[@assasin4730]

Who gives a shit? He's there to report, not sell you a gun. Gun nerds are really and truly the world's most arrogant and annoying people.

[@peoplesrepublicofliberland5606]

He got the Ak because of Call of Duty

[@ihatedlyselxics7689]

@@assasin4730 Saying it doesn't matter if the reported knows anything about guns is like saying it doesn't matter if a political journalist knows about politics.. you should know what you're reporting on

[@crowley582]

lil broomstick AKA young cash register mac10s can be chambered with 9mm.

[@hangtowngunner218]

Im I the only one that wishes that firearms evidence locker was my personal gunsafe?

[@RipperTearerSlasherGouger]

I think u know the answer

[@frankiec603]

Hangtown Gunner :D we all get that shine in our eyes & a BIG smile when he walked in the bolt. I thought i even so him smile lol

[@optimusvader7823]

ME TOO. IT IS A LITTLE COLLECTION OF GUNS 😅!

[@abbeyglencircle]

NO AWAY, you are not the only one.

[@jmckinney149]

Hangtown Gunner They should have a fire sale and invite me

[@themanwhosucksatgames3078]

I’m Puerto Rican, and I can say this everything in this video it’s true, you literally cannot go outside at night. Every government official in the island may have ties to the local mafia or cartel Also were part of the United States, were not a nation were a territory, we don’t have a president we have a governor

[@zayjacksontv8035]

Wym

[@zayjacksontv8035]

@C0UNTM30UT interesting to know

[@InvictusEnigma]

PR has a National Guard and also US Reserve solders. They have fought and died in war like any other solders from other states. They aren't "protected by the armed forces of the US", they are part of the US Armed Forces. Additionally, they do not pay federal income taxes (unless you work for the federal goverment) for the reason you stated but they do pay medicare/medicaid taxes. And they pay millions of dollars to the federal government in import taxes.

[@adrianrivera5934]

@C0UNTM30UT The federal government/agencies like ATF or FBI have full jurisdiction of the island. That means if you commit federal felony like having a full auto gun You are going to federal prison! Without of doubt. Puerto Rico is a US territory but there root structure is a state with limitations…

[@jess97724]

But you want to be an independent country so bad & if you vote to become one then it's going to get worse you'll never get help from The U.S. sorry but that's what happens when you want to be an independent country.

[@Strictdhe]

2:56 This is how many weapons a player can hold in GTA 5

[@SuperVampirelife]

She’s one hell of strong lady. God bless her.

[@saraneal4790]

She is I wish I kept my record clean to be able to carry because it is definitely not safe out here but I have to pray for protection of Yah what happens when the gun rights get taken away

[@alimarpr1110]

@@saraneal4790 you must have done something bad to not get a gun not sorry for you

[@LuckyFullPR]

@@alimarpr1110 we are young and stupid sometimes, obviusly did something bad. Yo por lo menos ya tengo mi licencia eso no asegura mi seguridad tho.

[@Ej3kayy]

That Puerto Rican cop lady....sheesh!

[@rohitkumarmukherjee3797]

Ty YT she has huge boobs.

[@robertreeves7675]

Ghos

[@lucky2gunnz309]

I love PR. They have dime pieces working on da sanitation dept.

[@notbonsai]

@@rohitkumarmukherjee3797 all female cops have big bazongas but dont lets the tits fool you they are worse than bloods and crips combined

[@mike-fs6zq]

All boriqua women are bad dude🇵🇷🇵🇷🇵🇷💯🔥

[@liptontea4033]

Calls a MAC10 an Uzi, welcome to VICE ladies and gentlemen

[@Ivan-bd2fb]

Ahhh the sound of coquis, insects, and automatic fire ❤ another beautiful night in my home island🙏

[@jeremax2048]

To bad there getting extinct :(

[@joser.paganarroyo8824]

Amén por P FUKING R 🔥🇵🇷

[@sailsmi]

Lmaooo

[@lockandloadlikehell]

That wasn't an UZI he picked up... Could be wrong, but-- As far as I could tell it was a MAC-11.

[@brandonvega5270]

Afghanistan National Police : I have the most corrupt police in the world Puerto Rican police: hold my beer

[@matthewnelson6874]

Yeah cuz over there they be raping lil boys n shi not sayin that it has never happened in pr but yeah

[@hirokjyotideka5571]

Clearly you've never seen our Indian police. Legalised gangsters.

[@yaniel111]

alot of police cant be compared

[@vkumv2493]

As far as ive known Dominican republic has way more corrupted police that P.R.

[@201snake]

Mexican corrupt cops laughing at your corrupt cops

[@DrocoMac]

This dude put his fingerprints all over the homies gun

[@AllTheFaxs]

I love Puerto Rico. It is such a beautiful country I just wish it was safer. I have been to old San Juan and it was awesome.

[@birons3708]

It's not a country dumass

[@joshuafontanez24]

The problem PR is that the criminal has more rights.. if you shoot and kill a criminal or an intruder and youre legally armed, the fact is that youll be going through a hard legal process in court where the criminal has all in his favor to win, the laws in puerto rico are not fair and the people implementing the law are the first ones to break them, there is a lot of injustice in puerto rico

[@hollywoodhispanic4549]

Joshua Fontanez Jajaja por eso es que tienes que asegurar que estén muerto 😂

[@golden4730]

Joshua Fontanez basically means Puerto Rico is a shithole. Mr trump needs to add Puerto Rico to the shithole countries list. USA needs to leave these low fuckers on their own and not part of the U.S.

[@danielnegron1462]

It's true I live here and I fucking hate the gun laws we have, it's way more expensive than in the states one license is 1,200 that's just the permit to buy a firearm then become a club member that price can go from 600 to 1,100 depending on the gun club a lawyer to get statements from neighbors 3 in total that's a additional 1000 or more and then if you want a cocealed carry license it's an additional 1,600 plus if you don't have you're concealed carry ID with you while defending you're self you get arrested which is more money to need there you have it.

[@IronLungs01]

Golden 47 Yeah right that's why everyone wants to go there on vacation and try to bang the woman. Go back to watching Pirates of Caribbean funny how you have a picture of pirates of the CARIBBEAN where Puerto Rico located. Talk about irony. Trump loves you poorly educated people.

[@anthonyleepr2738]

Low fuckers?! Nigga we have fought you're damn wars and we have fought righteously to try and be a state just for a damn uneducated INBRED to call our island a SHITHOLE!?

[@twisted5544]

God Bless Puerto Rico, keep our people alive and away from evil.

[@jhoseftruelove5973]

TWISTED amen bro

[@belkys120]

TWISTED ,. I AGREE GOD BLESS PUERTO RICO !!!. BUT THE PEOPLE'S MUST STOP WASTING THERE TIME VIEWING STUPID TV , GET OUT AND GET EDUCATED !!!. AND LEARN ENGLISH !!!. AND GET INVOLVED IN POSITIVE PROGRAMS IN SCHOOLS AND UNIVERSITIES !!!. AND DEMAND CHANGE !!.😎🇺🇸😎💔💖🙊🙈🙉😱!!!!. AND VOTE STATE HOOD..!!!!!. NOW !!!.TO ELIMINATE THERE CURRUPT GOVERNMENT !!!!. THAT HAS DONE NOTHING TO INPROVE P.R. !!!!. SAME SYSTEM FOR 60- YEARS !!.

[@twisted5544]

AGENT X SECURITY maybe the ones you know are watching TV but not the ones I know sorry, they take life as serious as cancer, and it's hard to fight the United States of America as a colony if you don't know.

[@angeldavila7744]

AGENT X SECURITY ur a dumb ass,we speak English in Puerto Rico.

[@rayo8382]

+AGENT X SECURITY I agree with you about State hood and I am Puertorican.Only thing is that Puerto Rico is Puerto Pobre meaning Puerto Rico which means Rich Port is Broke af now very broke they owe millions that we will have to carry that burden if they became state hood.

[@leowrench9403]

6:00 that old man low key killin it🤣

[@charlieharper9447]

Everyone is after the host for naming it wrong, no one gonna aknowledge how cool that bucket suppression thingy was ?

[@kratohn9396]

12:01 - Coraje is not courage, it's anger.

[@luischavez4130]

Brian Rod very true -coraje =ANGER-

[@Venezolano410]

@Brian Rod Coraje also means courage.

[@missionmanify]

It means courage in this context

[@marvinpurcell2775]

Courage is Valiente I believe. Could be wrong

[@guttmagurkee4802]

It means anger in PR. In this context she is using it as such.

[@firstclaims30]

I want to move to Puertorico, but I can’t take my guns with me and that is making me hesitate. I was there last week and it was so beautiful everywhere. Love my island.

[@Mr3andrew3]

I read that you can take your guns with you- I am.

[@matthewluttrell9413]

With the new gun law it's easier but you'll have to get the license first and right now the waiting list with the police is up to August or so of next year.

[@simontakataka]

boy you can get a gun anywhere over there

[@TheUncleTom]

you can. but you need to lawyer up. to make affidavits and so on

[@dj-savi1528]

I fly there all The time without asingle knife and nun happens

[@user-oc5jf2bh1m]

5:57 Song please!

[@mbugg1886]

What's the name of the song at 5:55 ? Graacias

[@lilcesar87]

At 3:03, that is not an Uzi it's a MAC-10 and it's american made. It was first used in the the Vietnam War by the CIA and Navy SEAL's.

[@johannesr1046]

And the AK was a WASR-10(no mag dimple), the cheapest AK you can buy.

[@hag12100]

Yeah, I noticed that too...

[@rustyshackleford9543]

thank god someone pointed all that out. I was about to comment this myself

[@Coxy002605]

Which is ironic because this reporter is an ex-Navy SEAL.

[@lilcesar87]

How you know the reporter is ex-Navy SEAL Coxy002605?

[@m0nth0r]

The police department in Puerto Rico is a good place for the zombie apocalypse

[@silvermoonluna5844]

Well if you ever see the umbrella corp. Logo around you know wheres the first place to hit up lol

[@scarecrow12232]

Stop talking bad about my people

[@juliamariepalero2105]

Why do people say there is going to be a Zombie apocalypse. Zombies don't exist. But Communist Liberal leftist Democrat's do.. and White Walkers.

[@jsmitty4675]

Swear i was thinking the same shit lol

[@juliamariepalero2105]

@lahokc59 have you watched game of thrones. It's a bad ass fictional character. More bad ass that a zombie.

[@alexcastillo4317]

"high caliber" 5.56 is universally known as a light to intermediate cartridge. Same for 7.62x39. Bonus giggles when he fails to engage the bolt catch not once but twice. Real expert you got there, Vice.

[@nexvull5911]

Im glad they had someone who actually knew how to handle firearms there. That guy for the most part was handling the guns safely.

[@EdTowel-ww7yh]

VICE News You're totally missing the point. Puerto Rico is suffering from wholesale economic collapse. This horrible economy has been met by opportunities within the drug trade. This then leads to violence and gun violence is only one aspect of that. You could get rid of all the guns and there would still be violence.

[@CristyMarreroPR]

As a born and raised Puerto Rican, this doc makes me so sad. It is very well done and interesting. But the situation in my island has to change sooner rather than later. Thanks for your good reporting @KajLarsen

[@eternalapostate4243]

Why are Puerto Rican women so beautiful?

[@jess97724]

@@eternalapostate4243 Not all of them most are overweight because of all the fried food there I think Mexican women are more beautiful.

[@elotaky]

As a Puerto Rican too it makes me sad that Puerto Rico is a "fun" place where people feal free but in reality people just love guns violence gossip drinking and smoking to escape reality 2 days for new years and they'll begin to do loud shootings on new years and they did it almost right now where I am and maybe they'll do it tomorrow

[@pacificrules]

My best friends, who are from Puerto Rico, are humble, loving, very smart, and dignified people. I was invited to pay a visit to Puerto Rico in Aug-2012 and I had a blast when they hosted. When Hurricane Maria hit PR and destroyed my friends home, I mailed out extra pots, dining utensils, plates, clothes, and some tupperware to help his family. Im shocked and appalled to see this happening in their home, as I have never seen or experienced this type of violence during my visit. I hope and pray for the failed-govt of PR to rise from their graves and take care of their island and people. It's unfortunate that greed and arrogance are the demise of PR-govt.😠😠😠😠😠😠

[@TheUncleTom]

i lived between manuela prado cicardo & trebol.. and this is almost everyday . not to mention the times when mote hatillo/park & capetillo felt adventurous

[@ScottHigh23]

The "gun debate," boils down to this for me.. There is none. You can't un invent something, it will always be there no matter what you do. Where ever there is a demand there will be someone to fulfill it. Just like drugs, It's human nature, so be realistic. Gun control doesn't work, in the end it just becomes, "lets ban this gun because it is more dangerous than this gun or this magazine because it holds more than what is safe for it to hold!" Any yes any firearm is dangerous in the hands of someone willing to use it for bad intentions. It always comes down to people, you can't change people. So don't tell me making firearms illegal will solve the problem. And Vice, you can have whatever view you like, just don't push it on to me or worst on people who are uneducated on the subject such as yourself. It is unethical, just report the news without a bias. Is that really so much to ask for these days?

[@DG0398]

This was hardly biased. He listened to the NRA and the Democrat politician with equal respect.

[@ScottHigh23]

Drew Gaughan "At 91 per cent, Puerto Rico has the world’s highest overall percentage of homicides by firearms. But this statistic hasn’t stopped the NRA from setting up shop, establishing their 51st chapter in Puerto Rico."

[@DG0398]

ScottHigh23 Yes, and...? It IS a bad political move for the NRA to associate itself with high murder rates...

[@ScottHigh23]

Drew Gaughan Also this statement about them having a bias is based on all their videos I have watched, not just this one.

[@DG0398]

ScottHigh23 I said this in another comment chain but I'll paste it here because I think it highlights why I could never agree with the NRA's stance: You Americans ignore the fact that gun ownership is huge up here yet we MONITOR those who own guns. You fail to see the benefits of BACKGROUND CHECKS in stemming violent crime. I live right across the river from Detroit, a city that had 333 murders in 2013, we had 4. You're fooling yourself and only making things worse by not petitioning for the moderation of gun owners. This sums up the problem nicely.

[@jeabo0adhd]

The reporter knows gun safety. He keeps his finger off the trigger and checks the chamber.

[@mw3fanatic]

Yeah but he doesn't know jack dick about models. He called a Mac 10 a uzi

[@apjmeredith]

+mw3fanatic I thought that too

[@drgonzo212]

+Joel Schembri Not always. Sometimes they can be of equal importance. If you don't know shit about the firearm model (you are handling) chances are you're going to be a danger to yourself and others around you.

[@RubSomefastOnIt]

+jeabo0adhd pretty sure that is the guy that's ex military

[@donaldtbell86]

That's about all he knows

[@Trunkoso]

*Takes MAC-10 off the shelf* "9mm Uzi, preferred weapon of Israeli special forces" That made me laugh more than it probably should have.

[@teddygee1613]

"The worst place in the world to live"? I live in Puerto Rico for 41 years and this coment is totally false. Video es totally exagerating. Making PR seem like a war zone. Im sure theres worst place to live.

[@teddygee1613]

@Adolf Stallin sorry you feel that way. I guess theres no guns,drugs and corruption were you live. 👍🏽

[@michaelbarker3078]

I would imagine he's referring to the slums and favelas..

[@teddygee1613]

@@michaelbarker3078 we call them barrios. 👍🏽and theres alot of good people. Crime and corruptions are everywere. Thank for the comment Bro

[@michaelbarker3078]

@@teddygee1613 your more than welcome got some Puerto Rican in my family so it's hard not to respect them...those people deserve better lives man

[@michaelbarker3078]

@Consuelo Ortiz yes the family is mixed just about everyone relatively even the more Caucasian like are still mixed technically

[@animvloc7287]

ok dude just handle the secarios guns without gloves, nice one

[@alexis.k6224]

🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣

[@jarethcruz2627]

Thats 100% a Cop, nooooo way a sicario would let cameras or location to any stranger.

[@113tidbits]

The weapons ignorance is high with this "journalist"....

[@charlierobles316]

Go teach him

[@ABCDEFUCKYOU999]

Charlie Robles he should of done his home work if he made a documentary about weapons

[@themanwhosucksatgames3078]

So what they look similar and they probably said to him it was a uzi

[@alexn78666]

@@ABCDEFUCKYOU999 you should probably do your homework on the journalist before criticizing his knowledge of firearms.. yes he made some mistakes, everyone does. Dude is an ex Navy SEAL though, pretty sure he knows a thing or two about some guns.

[@ivandrago1133]

@alexey penniez, his former career has no bearing on his current knowledge of firearms and to give him a pass because of said career is gross Negligence on your part.

[@perezedgarj]

Why they always use Cuban music on every document about Puerto Rico. I'll never get it.

[@144Souldier]

After that last shooting I seen on video today. I wouldn't step foot in Puerto Rico.

[@shinji1264]

LOOOL Same

[@pyropapi2470]

Yea this video just confirmed that im not going overthere

[@chano007]

the drive by one?

[@144Souldier]

@@chano007 Yeah when they got out and made hamburger meat.

[@V_J]

Just don’t go to PR sketchy places everywhere you go in the world there’s guns and risk

[@highbrxw5010]

picks up guns from hitman and doesnt wear gloves nice fingerprints my guy

[@chrisparker007]

Got his DNA all over them to I was like I call BS!!! Ain’t NO WAY I’m getting 10’ to that shit in case a hair blows on it!!..😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@saraneal4790]

Yeah that's crazy

[@conosense2095]

Here in puerto rico the police and forensic can't do those test from the high cost they straight up don't investigate.

[@JoseRivera-gl3sj]

@@conosense2095 facts

[@Ivar_lothbrok]

i tought the same thing bruh

[@cvc-gamingglitchrespositor9607]

Wow. In Puerto Rico, the SWAT team let the pit bull live.... If that was a Chihuahua in California, it would be shot 4x for barking.

[@jabneelsanchez1668]

cvc we are not that savages

[@illmatic5032]

I visited cali and i started talking shit cuz i hate wannabes then i wooped there ass, i bodied two at once

[@lovetotheworld6245]

It's a dogo argentino but yeah

[@leekgucci4865]

People call anything a damn pitbull😂

[@Lex60]

Dogo argentino, very complicated breed to have, specially if is a 24/7 chained dog.

[@kainoacarrero2808]

Shouldn’t be calling any part of Puerto Rico “slums”. That island is amazing every part of it has culture and beauty.

[@solnm4576]

clearly not 😂😂

[@RasM3211]

This year (2020), they have loosened up the gun laws and have made it waaayy easier for civilians to get armed. Now this documentary needs a bit of an update in that particular topic.

[@28ebdh3udnav]

"Island Nation" Its not an independent country, its part of the U.S.

[@Nolant.]

its a territory

[@stonedjedi6512]

Joseph Ybarra its a colony of the U.S. 🙄

[@gregorykobayashi2428]

@J D Thank you, someone here had to drop the basic poli sci definition on the uninformed.

[@peoplesrepublicofliberland5606]

Don't go there

[@ianlinera1376]

@@peoplesrepublicofliberland5606 why not is fun. I really want to go back. Forget all this sh×t

[@gregedwards8205]

I lived there from 93-97, it was deadly back then too, you were told not to stop at red lights after midnight, and the police really had their work cut out for them, this is an ongoing problem, not a recent problem

[@hannibal_TM]

whats the name of the song at 6:00?

[@Expact45]

5:22 she looks like JLO

[@homemademusic7]

Charles Turner thought I was watching bang bro’s until the clip ended and they still had their cloths on.

[@yehudacohen9913]

That's very accurate

[@JacketCK]

Damn i wonder why...

[@JUGO49]

As a puerto rican when i see americans happily shooting guns and having a great time i cry every time...

[@Ricardo-gf7ts]

You are American

[@cripbk2147]

@@Ricardo-gf7ts half American because they can’t vote.

[@kingdmind]

@@cripbk2147 second class “american” citizen

[@VICENews]

Vice News traveled to Puerto Rico to look at the rising tide of firearms that are changing the commonwealth and the culture. We met up with street thugs, the Puerto Rican SWAT team, pro-gun advocates, a gun control politician, and a women’s gun group, to find out how the NRA’s 51st and newest testing ground is working out. Read "A Former Marine Is Being Prosecuted on Kidnapping and Gun Charges - and the NRA Is Taking His Case” - bit.ly/1xmv7Hy

[@georgemarten2421]

Brilliant report there, really interesting, I see how the gun laws can be used in benifitial way now

[@Flako92]

Sadly the government could care less about the people and they say that the police are useless here for emergencies.

[@AdrblAznGrl]

George Marten They are beneficial in keeping us puertoricans un armed and submissive to heavily armed criminals and a heavily armed government.

[@EbbWeaver]

AdrblAznGrl ok. I don't agree.

[@cw3040]

EbbWeaver Puerto Ricans do have the strictest gun control laws in the United States (50 states, all commonwealths/outlying territories,) however have the worst gun death rate per capita in the States. There is a trend like this. Less legal gun ownership=More illegal gun ownership and gun violence. As you have clearly seen from this video, gun control does not work. Those people have machine pistols, automatic rifles, anti-material rifles, and what have you. The heaviest gun I saw within the legal shooters' ranks was a .50 revolver. 5 rounds, 50 caliber, not much against 4-6 adversaries (how thugs roll.)

[@Rastanuki420]

Its super sad to know that I island I used to call home has lots of homicides every year and still happens to this day.

[@jarth2358]

Anyone know the name of the song at 5:57 ?

[@igogoplatayobitch7566]

that police lady was fireee

[@eddiesaninocencio6635]

Yeah she hot. beautiful mangos. Make a great pillow for me.

[@liiillllliiilllliilllliii9461]

They're all like that here

[@SirJoseph99]

04:54 definitely perked up!

[@hidereplies1425]

yur weird

[@Jwilliamstech]

Built for Comfort! No doubt! 🤔

[@nostradamusofgames5508]

unwritten rule when shooting: NEVER shoot the other guy in the balls because thats just.... ouch.....

[@RandomEntityDudeguy968]

Why not? :D

[@nostradamusofgames5508]

how would you feel if you had your balls shot off on purpose?

[@RandomEntityDudeguy968]

patrick Katalenas Well, the person who was shot in the nuts would never think of committing that crime again.

[@nostradamusofgames5508]

Random Entity lol true

[@RandomEntityDudeguy968]

patrick Katalenas It works 99% of the time, but that didn't stop Hitler.

[@kaiyuanchen2107]

yo that "uzi" looked really like a MAC-10 anyone realize?2??2

[@chillbro7]

What's the song name at 6:00?! Please

[@laabitres]

I lived in PR from 04 til 2018 and this is factual and it's a problem that's getting worse by each year

[@zex3062]

Yea bro I lived there and till I was 9 I heard shots all the time and all my uncles friends are all dead except him

[@xgengx7530]

Sweet so they will eventually extinct themselves

[@NINJApig135]

Are we going to ignore the fact that he put his prints on several guns that the man was handling with gloves

[@umbrafigueroa9738]

Those crimes aren’t getting solved. 10/10

[@jfundora8583]

First thing I thought.

[@wheresmtnzx1115]

Puertorican police is basically Reno 911

[@-JORDXI-]

14:00 the fucking scar KAN KAN KAN KAN KAN 😂😂😂 LA MALDITA SCAR PUÑETAAA KAN KAN KAN KAN KAN

[@red88alert]

I'm glad I live in Texas. My house is protected by a Glock 19 and an AR15.

[@frost.0707]

🇨🇱

[@rogerroger730]

Sameee 🙋‍♂️🙋‍♂️

[@eane7238]

Well no, It's protected by you. Do you know how to use those guns?

[@dancingbuzzoppa]

you are thankful for that? wow... im thankful that I don't need any of those firearms to protect myself.

[@Pricopea]

I love Puerto Rico

[@Tregothomp]

I need that chip for the glock 😆

[@gameboyhotline3712]

Montrego Thompson that shit go hard

[@yerayserrano3567]

I leave in puerto Rico and the ilegall guns have diferent tipes of ships like full automatic and burst around 60 or 70 bux

[@jeremax2048]

That’s a felony my guy

[@rafiqkatana]

I love that the police chief answered the question. ..not your question, ..but A question. Classic.

[@rogermadore6420]

My boy was from San Isidro. When we went to visit and drive around we had a childhood friend with us who was armed 24/7 as our bodyguard basically. Then again we were not going to resorts we were in Loiza , Carolina, rio piedras, etc.

[@ThePongo357]

A chip to make it full auto? What is it? A Nintendo blaster?

[@gamebred5662]

I seriously laughed at that. I wish it was that easy to make my glocks full auto

[@lapalkarivers3005]

En PR toel mundo anda redy glock shippiaa fuelete fulll fullll 💥 orientensenn💀 100x35...

[@kevinmorrice]

@@gamebred5662 it is, its just a simple insert i believe is like 30-40 dollars

[@manuelcarrasquillorealhast6010]

Chip to hack glocks make dem automatic

[@dauuba3842]

Its called sear. Real simple stuff.

[@dvsdnaa]

As I read the comments, I'm glad to see that so many other people were able to clearly see the mistakes, the misinformation, and the scary sounds bights we hear so often when discussing self defense.

[@user-rd7lz1kn8j]

jokes aside, the host still got good trigger discipline lol

[@jayjuggrnaut]

"We have the right to live." Best 2A slogan ever.

[@symbolxchannel]

American's mentality: Too much guns? Add more guns! Isn't it obvious that the solution to too much of anything isn't to add more of it?

[@symbolxchannel]

collin ohlinger I don't see the control in "strict gun control"… Do you?

[@Everfrost1000]

SymbolX Criminals not obeying the law and importing thousands of illegal guns, who would have thought?

[@symbolxchannel]

***** The Puerto Rican gun laws are certainly not as strict as Canadian gun laws… So I don't think it's accurate to call it "strict". First, the level of criminality isn't really affected by the gun availability… This is determined by the economic and cultural situation. Second, what guns does is simply to aggravate the crimes by making them more lethal…

[@symbolxchannel]

Everfrost1000 There is obviously a problem there, but the solution is not to exacerbate the situation by adding more guns. The solution is to remove what drives the crimes… If it's drugs, then offer a legal alternative. (Such as legalizing marijuana!) If it's the poverty, then create jobs… But adding more guns to a clearly uncontrolled nation?

[@symbolxchannel]

***** I still don't see how letting people access guns more easily would help anything but increase the fatality of criminal acts…

[@afrorican762x39mm]

My father always told me about the G's located in the woods of his native Orocovis PR. Gangsta's Paradise.

[@sebby324]

I’m English we have strict gun laws and when you do get license’s you can only get a rifle or a shotgun no pistols or smg’s or stuff like that We don’t have problems with guns we have problems with knifes

[@javiermoreno9260]

3:15 I like how he says theirs aks and ars but it’s mostly just shotguns and pistols

[@jeremrosario3026]

They not normal pistols.they hace chips they make them fullyautomatic

[@dvsdnaa]

I encourage everyone to do their own research. I have invested the last thirteen years of my life to learning about defending my family and myself. There is a lot of misinformation in this video. It feels like, to me, that they had some inexperienced PA or intern google some basic info and spit it back out. You have to chose your source of information very carefully. While it was an interesting video, there were no hard hitting questions to the politician and a lot of the same misinformation we get from other news shows. Bad form. When I was kid, Puerto Rico was a test market for all types of corporate things, like cable TV, fashion, and music, just to name a few. I''m sure politicians didn't have a problem with that. They found countless reasons as to how it could benefit the people, and themselves. The NRA's presence in Puerto Rico is a threat to some politicians. Empowering people is usually not in the best interests of the government. In 13 years, I've learned that criminals don't look for fights, the look for victims. The cowardly criminal who cold-bloodedly shot the lady in the chest was never expecting her to fight back. He was betting, with very good odds, that he had found a victim. Even the odds.

[@tycorbin9972]

Yeah there's definitely wrong information in this vid PR doesnt have the most murders in the world that's actually Brazil

[@dwaynejohnson3656]

ty Corbin they do it's by population per capita

[@tycorbin9972]

@@dwaynejohnson3656 recheck your information because you're still wrong. If you're saying Per capa it would be Honduras PR doesnt even make top 5 going by per capa

[@xzay.]

ty Corbin lol ur responding to a video that was made years ago, obviously charts have changed back then in 2015 PR was the number one murder place

[@rpgf8248]

In 10 days there have been 42 assasination... i live here

[@skkully4676]

Finally someone gets it. !!! Just the start of the new year there were already I believe 20-30 homicides withing the first week or two !

[@savdielducret9374]

Bienvenidos a puerto rico where I get killed for literally anything. Anything

[@skkully4676]

@@savdielducret9374 it's fucking horrible and definitely not the island of paradise. I've been living here for 3 years now. Nothing to be glamorizing about. Be careful out here ✌️

[@405boy4]

@@skkully4676 I never knew PR was this dangerous. In fact before seeing this I'd never thought PR would even make the US top-20 for homicides a year.

[@skkully4676]

@@405boy4 trust. Since this documentary came out. It's gotten so much worse. Especially after hurricane maria.

[@g10prodriver76]

a recent court victory gives Puerto Rico residents the ability to open carry and concealed carry without a permit. The ruling in the class action lawsuit has apparently blown everyone's expectations out of the water. The lawsuit challenged Puerto Rico's gun laws, some of which the court ruled unconstitutional. As of now, it seems that no regulations are in place to stop anyone on the island from carrying a firearm, permit or not. In addition, the ruling abolished the territory's gun registry, as well as the need to obtain a permit to purchase a firearm.

[@compositebook7874]

What! When did that happen?

[@chrisortez5992]

5:55 what’s the song?

[@metalspector]

As a person living in Puerto Rico, I have to say that Puerto Rico's gun violence cannot be compared to the US. Almost all gun homicides are gang related, and as such most victims are gang members. Whether legal guns become easier or harder to get won't change the situation in a significant way. Puerto Rico will never resolve gang related violence because a lot of money is made trafficking drugs to the US, which is easier to do from Puerto Rico than from Mexico since we are a US jurisdiction. Just a few days ago, an FBI operative confiscated over $1 billion in assets from Puerto Rico and Florida in relation to drug trafficking and money laundering in Puerto Rico where high profile people were arrested, including government officials and one of the most renowned lawyers and construction developers in the island.

[@cracksemiro6375]

Making guns more accesible makes everyone safer. EVERYONE

[@cocainecowboy_]

not really, it just creates more illegal weaponry to be made/ forgery and that creates a bigger problem

[@minecraftboynavyseal3153]

Kerchew on the other hand it keeps people from wanting to cause they gunna get killed by civilians protecting themselvs

[@luvmywohdes1464]

Maybe In Puerto Rico, not europe

[@dwaynejohnson3656]

Kerchew nah not really it actually gives you a chance to defend yourself against people who wanna do harm against you

[@renetorres213]

sniperhat1 he asked about percentages and your dumbass responded with 500k to 3 million...

[@Pr1zzm]

5:46 "Most replayed" lmfao I see you fellow men of culture

[@patrikgibbons7560]

Holding a 100 round AK drum, calls it a 30 round....wow

[@257condor5]

Whoa I’ve never seen the special edition uzi that looks like a Mac 10 lol

[@davidacevedo2774]

Very interesting to see my hometown portrayed in your show. I was asked in Albany, NY what kind of game I was going to use the Remington 11-87 I had just bought, what kind of animals, and my answer was "the two legged kind" which brought a roar of laughs at the gun shop. Buying a long gun in NY is so easy, yet the crime rate in Albany is much much lower than in Puerto Rico. This is why you saw the kind of weapons you saw at the Police Dept. Deposit, cops don't want us to be armed, and they don't protect us, and it is easier to confiscate guns from a law abiding citizen. Many times the police knows where the "sicarios" are but will not confront them, some are a bunch of chickens. There is one truth the thug said, police in Puerto Rico is corrupt, very corrupt. And there are many points that aggravate the problem of illegal guns, which maybe my good old friend Luis Tuto Bermudez didn't tell you because maybe you didn't ask. To wrap it up, it was a good show, a bit short in some areas.

[@gromenawuer1]

Every single social problem. Americans: * MORE GUNS*

[@davidherrington6290]

bro calls a switch a hack for your glock 😂

[@gloriousmotherland2156]

Song at 5:58 someone plzzzz!!

[@Tarsosauloo]

did you find the song ?

[@bananadog5813]

Stricter laws=higher crime rate

[@jantjejansen8810]

Not here in the Netherlands

[@sunnydaze80]

+Bananadog5 rampant poverty and no access to education, plus guns = higher crime rate.

[@LiquidTunez]

+Bananadog5 That's a blatant lie mate. Intentional homicide rates by firearms are at least 5 times higher in the United States than in the Netherlands, Sweden, Germany, Luxembourg etc

[@montetown5741]

+LAUS art Dont look at gun-crimes rather look at violent-crimes. Australia banned guns and violent-crime increased 3 fold.

[@LiquidTunez]

+Monte Town are those actual facts or fictional 'facts'? Because I find that really hard to believe. I'd like to see a source from that please. And even if it were true, what about now? how are the statistics 20 years after the gun law?

[@g10prodriver76]

El derecho constitucional es eso un derecho no ahy que sacar licencia o pedir permiso como es tu derecho no ahy que pagar ni un centavo

[@shubam2626]

Name of the song at 5:55?