ABC News: U.S. Guns Arming Mexican Drug Gangs; 2nd Amendment to Blame?

[ericire12]

U.S. Guns Arming Mexican Drug Gangs; Second Amendment to Blame?


By BRIAN ROSS and RICHARD ESPOSITO
April 22, 2008

U.S. gun stores and gun shows are the source of more than 90 percent of the weapons being used by Mexico's ruthless drug cartels, according to U.S. and Mexican law enforcement officials.

"It's a war going on in Mexico, and these types of firearms are the weapons of war for them," said Bill Newell, the special agent in charge of the Phoenix field division of the ATF, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which has primary law enforcement jurisdiction for investigating gun trafficking to Mexico.

"It's virtually impossible to buy a firearm in Mexico as a private citizen, so this country is where they come," said Newell.

But U.S. efforts to stop the smuggling of tens of thousands of guns to Mexico, including high-powered assault weapons, have been hampered by lenient American gun laws and the Bush administration's failure to give priority to anti-gun smuggling efforts, officials tell ABC News for a report Tuesday on ABC News' "World News With Charles Gibson."

Mexico's strict gun laws are being subverted by the easy availability of weapons in the U.S., the Mexican attorney general, Eduardo Medina-Mora Icaza, told ABC News. "The Second Amendment," said the attorney general, "is certainly not designed to arm and give fire power to organized crime abroad."

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=4695848&page=1

[DDMac]

Perhaps if Mexico policed it's border with the US, and prevented their citizens from smuggling drugs into the US to trade for guns, they would have no such problems?? Being unarmed sure seems to be working out well for the general population, no?
Mac.

[Dakotaranger]

Mexico needs to build a wall to keep those evil guns out.

[SlickRob]

+1

[MikeBjerum]

Let me get this right ... It's our fault when someone or something comes north across the border, and it's also our fault when something goes south 

We're wrong for being the World's police, but no one else will do anything to enforce their own laws or protect their own borders 

I don't understand how this is our fault in any way, shape of form 

[Sponsor]

[jaybet]

Gee Whiz...the largest gun dealer in the world is concerned that our neighbors to the south are getting guns from gun stores and gun shows? They're just pissed because they are not making the sales.

[DDMac]

A shameless paraphrase:
No guns  No Freedom

Know guns   Know freedom.
Mac.

[jaime1966]

I've been reading DRTV's forum for a while and had to put my 2 cents worth on this one. The drug traffickers are not interested in guns... they're interested in cash!. Since Mexico banned firearms business is booming for these traffickers ( drugs to the north and guns to the south) cash in both directions. These guns sell for about 3 times the original cost and are sought after mostly by law abiding citizens who collect or keep them for personal protection


WHEN GUNS ARE BANNED IN THE UNITED STATES  THERE WILL BE A NEW MARKET FOR THEM.

[Pathfinder]

Gee Whiz...the largest gun dealer in the world is concerned that our neighbors to the south are getting guns from gun stores and gun shows? They're just pissed because they are not making the sales.

For the same reason the gummint fights organized crime - the gummint hates the competition!!!!

[Outlaw]

We don't need no stinkin Gringo guns, we just get the dolares from dumb Gringos and buy our own guns. Muchas Gracias Americanos