Beach marauders assail beachgoers in Rio, early 2014.

Holiday travelers were virtually taken hostage on their return from the Brazilian coastline this past weekend, as traffic slowed to a crawl and then stopped on the main roads back into Sao Paulo from the Littoral (coastline).

Stuck in their cars, these travelers were cherry-picking for gangs of thieves who rode their motorcycles up and down the line of traffic robbing people at gunpoint. Nothing anyone could do about it.

In Brazil, guns are outlawed for the common man and woman. Police and military have guns, as do other law enforcement personnel, as well as lawyers, doctors, and some rare other exceptions. Those with the most guns are the criminal class, who know that the police tell people not to resist, to give thieves whatever they demand–without hesitation. Hesitation will get you killed.

It’s the age of the Highway Men, from Merry…