<\/a> by <\/span>Lee Williams<\/a><\/p>\n On January 8, 1959, Fidel Castro made his victorious entry into Havana, which signaled an end to the Cuban revolution. The very next day Castro\u2019s henchmen began seizing personally owned firearms and disarming the entire population, allegedly to prevent a countercoup.<\/p>\n Belgian FNs, American M1 and M2 carbines and a wide variety of submachineguns, shotguns and handguns were all seized from Castro\u2019s forces. The propaganda machine fully supported the weapon seizure. <\/span>Olive Green<\/em>, the Cuban Army magazine claimed there was a large number of negligent discharges taking place because the guerillas were carrying their weaponry \u201cas if they were adornments.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Today, just 90 miles from the Florida Keys, Cuba has some of the strictest gun control laws in the world. Sixty-six years after his revolution, Castro\u2019s henchmen are still disarming the Cuban populace, even though there\u2019s not much left for them to find.<\/p>\n Case in point:<\/strong> Last week Cuban police arrested a man in Havana for what they described as an \u201carsenal of weapons\u201d in his home, <\/span>according to one website<\/a> that covers the country\u2019s legal affairs.<\/span><\/p>\n A raid by the Cuban Criminal Investigation and Community Work Forces was carried out February 18 at 6:40 a.m. in the Arroyo Naranjo region of Havana. It was led by a police sector chief.<\/p>\n \u201cThe agents discovered a modern pearl shotgun with optical sights, a .22 caliber shotgun, and more than 150 cartridges of various calibers,\u201d the news story states. \u201cAlso found were two cartridge belts, one containing 27 bullets and the other 18 shells, in addition to several cases and shotgun wadding.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n One of the photos taken by Cuban police shows how this \u201carsenal of weapons\u201d was mostly junk, incapable of firing, consisting of an air rifle, pellets and what officials called a \u201c.22 caliber shotgun.\u201d Police also found belts of old shotgun shells and a collection of knives, bayonets and machetes.<\/p>\n <\/a> Despite the age, lack of ammunition and the poor condition of the alleged weaponry, police were jubilant.<\/p>\n \u201cAn entire arsenal hidden in the heart of the neighborhood,\u201d the official stated while suppling photos of the raid, some of which were shared on social media.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The homeowner was arrested and faces \u201cserious charges,\u201d the website claims. That much is true. Violation of Cuban anti-gun laws can lead to years behind bars. Committing a crime with an unlicensed weapon can result in life in prison.<\/p>\n After his revolution, Castro gave dozens of speeches on the need to relinquish arms.<\/p>\n \u201cI appeal to the public to disarm the ambitious. Why are clandestine arms being stored at this very minute? Why are arms being hidden at distinct points of the capital? Why are arms being smuggled at this moment?\u201d Castro said just days after entering Havana. \u201cI tell you that there are members of certain revolutionary organizations who are smuggling and storing arms. All the arms that were found by the rebel army are stored and locked in barracks, where they belong. What are these arms for? Against whom are they going to be used?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Several years later, Radio Havana warned all Cuban citizens that they still needed to relinquish their arms.<\/p>\n \u201cAll citizens must turn in their combat weapons. Civilians must take arms to police stations, soldiers to military headquarters,\u201d the national radio stated.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Violators, the radio station warned, would not be prosecuted by the criminal court, but by Revolutionary Tribunals, which had already sentenced more than 1,100 Cubans to death since the revolution ended six years earlier.<\/p>\n Castro\u2019s position on civilian firearm ownership had changed 100-percent. Just a few years earlier he had said, \u201cThis is how democracy works: it gives rifles to farmers, to students, to women, to Negroes, to the poor, and to every citizen who is ready to defend a just cause.\u201d<\/p>\n His change convinced many Cubans that they needed to flee the island for their freedom.<\/p>\n Castro, who\u2019s personal paranoia has been well documented, did not want anyone other than his most trusted revolutionaries to have access to firearms.<\/p>\n <\/a> Like the Castro brothers, Cuba\u2019s current ruler Miguel D\u00edaz-Canel is the most powerful man in Cuba. As First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba, he is also very anti-gun.<\/p>\n Today, civilians cannot own handguns. Nor is there any way civilians can own any semi-automatic firearm. Civilians cannot carry firearms for self-defense. Personal firearms must be stored securely, and police may inspect them whenever they want. Ammunition remains extremely difficult to find.<\/p>\n As a result, personal firearms in the island nation are almost nonexistent. Guns are very, very rare. Most are owned by members of the military, state security agents or a few credentialed members of hunting clubs or shooting associations. Many of these private clubs have switched to pellet guns since both rimfire and centerfire ammunition is so hard to find.<\/p>\n Most police officers must leave their firearms at their stations when not on duty. Most soldiers receive unloaded AKs for training.<\/p>\n The government has never stopped trying to take away their citizens\u2019 firearms or their firearm rights.<\/p>\n In 2010, the government announced yet another two-month amnesty for unregistered civilian firearms. Those who passed firearms aptitude and psychological testing were allegedly allowed to keep their weapons, the government claimed, but no numbers were ever published. It is not known if anyone was allowed to keep their guns.<\/p>\n Both the Castros and D\u00edaz-Canel maintained an island that\u2019s completely free of anything close to our Second Amendment rights. Any law or rule that would legalize firearms would lead to violence, Cuba\u2019s people mistakenly believe.<\/p>\n Our United States Embassy tells another story and warns of \u201cincreased caution in Cuba due to crime.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPetty crime, such as pick pocketing, purse snatchings, and car break-ins, is a threat for tourists in Cuba. Also, violent crime, including armed robbery and homicide, sometimes occurs in Cuba,\u201d <\/span>the U.S. Embassy warns on its website.<\/a> \u201cTravel outside of the Havana area for U.S. Embassy employees requires a special notification process which may affect the Embassy\u2019s ability to provide emergency assistance to U.S. citizens in Cuba.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n The Second Amendment Foundation\u2019s Investigative Journalism Project wouldn\u2019t be possible without you. Click <\/span>here<\/a><\/strong> to make a tax-deductible donation to support pro-gun stories like this.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1b010819-d9e1-437b-aea7-8ef1bba37ed4_1100x734.jpeg\")
<\/picture><\/div>\n\n
\n
\n
<\/picture><\/div>\n