Lodge2004 wrote:chabouk wrote:And, as always, the violence is a direct result of prohibition. E-Z Mart and 7-11 don't have gun battles over Budweiser. When something is outlawed, and especially when it's cracked down on, the stakes go up.
Violence is a result of people (i.e. bad guys tend to do bad things). When prohibition ended, the gangs did not suddenly dry up and become model citizens, they just changed their business to a different product. You may be able to impact the level of violence or shift it into other directions, but you are not going to make it go away.
You can't make it go away, but you can reduce the incentive. The more illegal, the higher the stakes. The higher the stakes, the riskier the venture. The riskier it is, the higher the profit potential. And the higher the profit potential, the more people will be willing to do anything, including use violence, to get the money.
But back on topic: these were "
suspected illegal aliens" engaged in a major drug movement. Again, I'll put my money on the drug smuggling being behind the shooting. Nobody shoots a cop for the chance to hang drywall or pick tomatoes.