San Diego Man Fights for Gun Rights After Wrong Turn Landed Him in Mexican Prison

Not every country has the same criminal justice system as we do. Some are fair, many aren’t. Often, the State Department takes an interest in cases where Americans have been arrested abroad, though they mostly just want to make sure the Americans are treated the same as anyone else. Unless you’re a vocal anti-American women’s basketball player that no one had heard of before you got arrested. Then they’ll trade a vicious criminal for your moronic butt, all so you can come and take more dumps on the country that pulled you out of a Russian prison.

Anywho…my point is that the system isn’t universal, and that doesn’t even get into what is and isn’t a crime from nation to nation.

That matters because a San Diego man listened to his GPS, accidentally ended up in Mexico, and now may lose his gun rights now that he’s back home in California.

A San Diego County man who spent six days in a Mexican jail after mistakenly crossing the border with a legally owned firearm is suing California’s Attorney General for a determination on whether or not he can lawfully possess firearms.

In a newly filed lawsuit, obtained by Times of San Diego, Thomas Close was driving southbound on Interstate 5 on his way to a client’s house.
…

After learning his mistake, Mr. Close, according to his lawsuit, immediately went to Mexican authorities to inform them of his mistake.

Law enforcement officers, however, detained Mr. Close on charges of carrying guns, ammunition and a magazine into the country.

Mr. Close was transported to jail, where he remained for six days, according to the complaint.

Unable to speak or understand Spanish, Mr. Close waited for his court hearing. On April 3, 2025, Mr. Close agreed to enter a guilty plea and pay 10,000 pesos as well as surrender his gun and ammunition in exchange for his release.

Now, that’s less than $600, so Close didn’t think much about it, I’m sure. The problem is that it turns out he was actually sentenced to three years in prison, with the prison stay lifted. He left for home as what the United States would define as a felon.

But that’s in Mexico, not the United States, right?

Yeah…about that.

Under California Law, it is against the law for any person to possess a firearm if they have been convicted of a felony in “any other state, government, or country.” Violating PC 29800 could result in up to three years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Close took a wrong turn, informed the authorities of everything, including that he had a gun he lawfully owned under American law, and now his gun rights are being threatened because he took a plea deal with a court in a language he didn’t speak and didn’t realize he would be considered a felon under American law.

Considering how Mexican jails are, I’m not overly surprised that Close says he feared for his life while there and took whatever deal they offered so he could get out and back into the Land of the Free.

It would be one thing if you were talking about some kind of violent offense on foreign soil. I don’t see any reason not to treat a rapist as a rapist, even if the rape occurred on another continent. I have no issue with pedophiles being arrested in the United States for what they did in some Far East brothel with a child.

But this is a wrong turn, and now California Attorney General Rob Bonta is refusing to actually say that Close still has his gun rights under American law. All he’s gotten, according to him, is equivocation rather than a firm answer. So, he’s suing to at least be told one way or another, and he deserves that. Anyone would deserve that.

Or, just maybe, we shouldn’t really get worked up about a conviction that happened in a corrupt narcostate?

Just putting that out there.

Editor’s Note: The radical Left will stop at nothing to enact their radical gun control agenda and strip us of our Second Amendment rights.

Help us continue to report on and expose the Democrats’ gun control policies and schemes. Join Bearing Arms VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.