100 assault rifles are passed out to border deputies

To prepare for potential confrontation against armed gunmen, the Cameron County Sheriff’s Department recently purchased about 100 AR-15 assault rifles to be carried by deputies in their patrol cars. “We are all here on the border, and as we all know the cartels have some of these type of weapons,” Sheriff Omar Lucio said. “With these rifles, we have at least the same if not better firepower in case of a major event. We also have to point out that these weapons are powerful enough to penetrate some types of body armor. If we ever get into a tough situation with someone from over there, we’ll be able to go ahead and take care of our people. Hopefully, it never happens. but if it does we’ll be ready,” he said. On Thursday morning, some two dozen deputies spent several hours at the sheriff’s department shooting range off FM 511 near the Port of Brownsville as part of their 24-hour certification course. Patrol cars are in the process of getting special holders that will keep the rifles secure in the vehicle in a place where the deputy has immediate access in case of an emergency, Lucio said...more