GAO Ties U.S. Guns to Mexico Violence

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Wall Street Journal

AMERICAS NEWS
JUNE 18, 2009
GAO Ties U.S. Guns to Mexico Violence
By EVAN PEREZ

WASHINGTON -- A new study by the Government Accountability Office says most firearms recovered in drug violence in Mexico come from the U.S., a finding that will likely fuel the politically charged debate over the U.S. government's efforts to stem gun trafficking across the border.

Drug-related murders have more than doubled in number to 6,200 last year from 2,700 in 2007, according to the GAO study, a draft of which was reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. The study is set to be released Thursday.

Mexican officials have pushed for the U.S. to enact tougher gun laws and to help restrict arms smuggling as Mexico attempts to battle drug cartels on its territory.

"The availability of firearms illegally flowing from the United States into Mexico has armed and emboldened a dangerous criminal element in Mexico, and it has made the job of drug cartels easier," said Rep. Eliot L. Engel, (D., N.Y.), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, which is holding a hearing on arms trafficking Thursday. "It is simply unacceptable that the United States not only consumes the majority of the drugs flowing from Mexico, but also arms the very cartels that contribute to the daily violence that is devastating Mexico."


Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124528641705825899.html...

[notesdev]

1. Is it really guns?

Or is it the insane prohibition policies that make it worthwhile to murder for profit? Anyone think that these drug gangs wouldn't get their weapons just as easily from another source?

[Judi Lynn]

2. It's easier and quicker to get them from the U.S. Transportation costs cheaper, as well. n/t

[geckosfeet]

7. Wow. Good point. Apparently it's simply easier to get them from the US.

That should make us all proud.

[friendly_iconoclast]

10. A lot of them *do* come from the US. Via the Mexican Government

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...


Seems the MX Government has a problem preventing the full-auto rifles, grenades, and rocket launchers
it buys directly from US manufacturers from growing legs and walking away.

Or as it is termed in some circles, "falling off the back of a truck".

Somehow, I doubt the serial #'s of the various full-on machine guns pictured at the links have been or will be submitted to the US government for tracing.

Further discussion here:


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

3. Less than 1/4 of the weapons seized were submitted for tracing. That's odd isn't it.

[imdjh]

4. Stupid

1- Guns are manufactured in the US. If you build a Gaza wall along the US border, the guns will go to Mexico in ships. Where does Chavez get his guns, one wonders.

2- If you stop all exports of guns from the US, then they will come from China... or Mexico. For god's sake, if the Palestinians can build weapons you don't think the Mexicans can?

3- Guns don't kill Mexicans, Mexicans kill Mexicans.

[krispos42]

5. I have no doubt that most of the guns whose serial numbers were checked...

...came back to the US.

They submitted only about 20% of the serial numbers of the weapons they captured to the ATF for tracing. And if I was a Mexican official looking to shift blame to a foreign country, I would submit only the serial numbers of weapons I was pretty sure were of US origin. Then claim it was American's loose gun laws that were the problem, because that nicely shifts critisism away from Mexico.

Of course, now that we have all those serial numbers of US-origin weapons, I'm sure that AG Holder will be able to swiftly track down the dozens or hundreds of straw buyers, and the investigation will quickly work through the gangs.



Unless, of course, most of the weapons are NOT of US origin. Then there's really not a whole lot that Holder can do.

[friendly_iconoclast]

6. Much discussed (and debunked) at the Guns Forum:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

[devastated1981]

8. Well, duh? It seems...

common sense tells me that if illegal aliens and drugs can pass through our borders so easily, then guns and who knows what else will too. This is clearly another extremely negative side effect of our leaky borders.

[Strong Atheist]

9. Welcome to DU!

[Lagomorph]

11. I'm surprised they think...

they could stop guns at the border. It's probably easier to make them in Mexico than smuggle them across the border. I wonder why they bother with the risk of smuggling.

[safeinOhio]

12. I'll bet that is where all of

the 32cal bullets are going. I sure as hell can't find any here.