Is the U.S. to blame for gun violence in Mexico?

[mbw]

New article in the Chronicle from the Baker Institute. A must read and worth saving a copy for future reference!

"The fact is, only a small percentage of the guns linked to drug-related violence in Mexico actually come from the United States."


http://blogs.chron.com/bakerblog/2010/1 ... exico.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[RPB]

New article in the Chronicle from the Baker Institute. A must read and worth saving a copy for future reference!

"The fact is, only a small percentage of the guns linked to drug-related violence in Mexico actually come from the United States."


http://blogs.chron.com/bakerblog/2010/1 ... exico.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

My comment is awaiting approval there
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Stapler

A Stapler is pretty useless without Staples.
Where do they get their Russian, Hungarian, Chinese ammo?
Probably cheaper (and easier to find) importing it from Brazil/Venezuela etc., where Boito and Taurus guns are made. Then they'd avoid USA taxes.
Maybe that's why Mexico is building fences on THEIR Southern border.

[Katygunnut]

Only if Mexico is to blame for the drug problems in the US, and an overburdened health care system, and an overburdened public education system, and a good portion of our violent crime (aka gun violence); all related to their various exports.

[cheezit]

the issue starts farther south then mexico with the growers. They only grew the stuff because the cartel buy's it. Of corse the cartel's only buying to to resale it to whom ever is will to buy it. Drugs are so widle used its sad but its all about profit.
yes US money is funding its share of the cartels lifestyle no question. It not really about the guns its more about the funding.
so who's at fault the growers,the suppliers or the buyers?

[Tamie]

Let's take a step back and look at it logically.

Many of the guns used in crimes in Mexico were stolen by Mexicans from the Mexican government. Police and Military.

Many guns are being smuggled into Mexico from Central America. The vast majority of those smugglers are Mexican or other Hispanics who sell the smuggled arms to Mexicans.

A small percentage of the guns originate in US commercial channels. However, they are not being exported legally, and most of the smugglers caught are Mexican citizens or of Mexican ancestry.

[pbwalker]

I'm putting this breakdown here for my own future use so I can find it again:

* I'm the Mexican gov't - I have 29,000 weapons before me recovered from crime-scenes.

* I give 11,000 to the US for tracing - I don't give the US the other 18,000 (for whatever reasons of my own).

* Of the 11,000 guns I gave the US to check, 6,000 are traced successfully - and of those 6,000 guns, 5,114 actually did come from the US.

That's where the 90% figure comes from - 90% of the 6,000 - NOT the 29,000.

5,114 out of 29,000 = 17.6% of ALL weapons used in Mexico killings come from the US.

That's assuming the other 18k that were not traced contained no weapons from the US.

Can't we just put up a wall already?

[cbr600]

deleted

[Excaliber]

I'm putting this breakdown here for my own future use so I can find it again:

* I'm the Mexican gov't - I have 29,000 weapons before me recovered from crime-scenes.

* I give 11,000 to the US for tracing - I don't give the US the other 18,000 (for whatever reasons of my own).

* Of the 11,000 guns I gave the US to check, 6,000 are traced successfully - and of those 6,000 guns, 5,114 actually did come from the US.

That's where the 90% figure comes from - 90% of the 6,000 - NOT the 29,000.

5,114 out of 29,000 = 17.6% of ALL weapons used in Mexico killings come from the US.

You're right.

Now here's the real kicker:

About 1/8 of the Mexican army deserts every year - with their weapons, uniforms, and equipment. I haven't seen the figures for their police, but I suspect their retention rate is no better, and may well be worse. Many of these ex government employees start new careers as drug cartel employees.

Mexico buys most of its military small arms from the U.S.

When the deserters' guns are recovered and traced, it should come as no surprise that they are found to come from the U.S.

The most interesting figure, which no one can seem to pry out of either the U.S. or Mexico, is how many of those traced guns entered Mexico through authorized government sales to the Mexican military and police.

Since this simple and obviously relevant piece of data appears to be top secret, it would be reasonable to suspect that the answer would not be helpful to the anti 2A propaganda effort both countries are using these numbers for.

[chasfm11]

Last night, Bill O'Reilly interviewed Peter Greenburg, a travel editor. Here. http://video.foxnews.com/v/4486882/shou ... t_id=86923

As part of his message, Greenburg claimed that "there are 6,500 gun shops along the boarder" and intimated that their sole purpose in being there is to sell guns to Mexicans. Considering that a larger portion of that border is in Texas and to buy a gun in Texas, you have to present ID and have a background check (supposedly), either Greenburg is grossly distorting the truth (imagine that!) or there is widespread breaking of gun sales regulations.

[Excaliber]

I'm putting this breakdown here for my own future use so I can find it again:

* I'm the Mexican gov't - I have 29,000 weapons before me recovered from crime-scenes.

* I give 11,000 to the US for tracing - I don't give the US the other 18,000 (for whatever reasons of my own).

* Of the 11,000 guns I gave the US to check, 6,000 are traced successfully - and of those 6,000 guns, 5,114 actually did come from the US.

That's where the 90% figure comes from - 90% of the 6,000 - NOT the 29,000.

5,114 out of 29,000 = 17.6% of ALL weapons used in Mexico killings come from the US.

That's assuming the other 18k that were not traced contained no weapons from the US.

Of course - but it's all we have so far until the Mexican government releases those 18k - and I ain't holding my breath.

The most likely reason the 18K weren't submitted for U.S. traces is because they are AK47's and similar weapons with markings that clearly indicate manufacture in other countries and of types that can't be sold in U.S. civilian channels. There's no political point to asking for a U.S. trace of a fully automatic rifle manufactured in China after 1986.

[Ziran]

If the "easily accessible US guns" cause violence in Mexico why aren't they causing even more violence in US ? (after all they are even more accessible in US).

What the Mexico needs is for the guns to be more accessible to its honest citizens then they are to the cartels. But the Mexican government will not go for it willingly because the first thing armed citizens would do would be to send the corrupt government of Mexico packing.