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US-Mexico Groups Urges New US Assault Weapons Ban

More news stories on Mexico and Latin America

Catherine E. Shoichet, Comcast News, October 14, 2009

The United States should reinstate a Clinton-era ban on assault weapons to prevent such guns from reaching Mexican drug cartels, former officials from both countries said in a report released Tuesday.

The group, which includes two former U.S. ambassadors to Mexico, also said the U.S. should do more to stop the smuggling of firearms and ammunition into Mexico by stepping up investigations of gun dealers and more strictly regulating gun shows.

The Binational Task Force on the United States-Mexico Border listed the assault weapons ban as a step the U.S. should take immediately to improve security in both countries. The 10-year ban expired in 2004.

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U.S. and Mexican officials say drug cartels frequently use assault rifles, which are banned in Mexico but easily purchased in the United States.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon launched a nationwide crackdown on drug cartels when he took office in December 2006. The offensive has been met with unprecedented violence, leaving more than 13,800 people dead.

During his run for office, President Barack Obama promised to push to reinstate the ban. He has since said he would rather enforce existing laws that make it illegal to send assault weapons across the border.

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Original article

(Posted on October 14, 2009)

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Comments

1 — Question Diversity wrote at 6:48 PM on October 14:

Already illegal to transport these kinds of guns (and most others) across any international line, and Mexico doesn’t allow them in, in theory.

What will work to prevent those oh-so-evil American guns out of Mexico is a comprehensive solution. By comprehensive, I mean triple fencing AND the 101st Airborne.

2 — Soprano Fan wrote at 8:15 PM on October 14:

Good grief, Mexicans are still peddling the cannard about assault weapons being easily purchased north of the border by Mexican drug cartels. That is so much garbage, along with the since ridiculed claim that 90% of the assault weapons used by the Mexican cartels came from the USA.

In reality, most of the cartels’ weapons come from South America and other international markets in Asia and Europe. Do you really think the Mom and Pop gun stores across the USA border are going to sell Mexican drug lords assault weapons, grenade launchers and explosives?

You lie, Vicente Fox!

3 — Mark in LA wrote at 9:55 PM on October 14:

Anybody that knows how expensive legally transferrable assault weapons are knows this is bogus. My guess is that gun control groups in Washington let it be known that if they get the Mexican government to give them cover for a new ban, the gun control groups will support an amnesty for illegals.

4 — Obscuratus wrote at 3:13 AM on October 15:

But…didn’t the Mexican government “ban” the very drugs used by the cartels to finance their anti-government war?

5 — Anonymous wrote at 7:00 AM on October 15:

Mexico is a country corrupted at all levels of government. They have coastlines on both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Isn’t it entirely possible if not probable that most of their weaponry is coming from overseas rather than north of the border?

6 — Simon Jester wrote at 5:39 PM on October 15:

Most of these weapons are coming from Central America and Colombia, which are literally awash in them. Both we and the Soviets gave them away by the boatload to various client states and guerrilla groups back during the Cold War era. Why would Mexican narcotrafficers risk arrest and prosecution trying to illegally purchase a semiautomatic knock-off of an AK for $600 in the U.S., when they can easily get the real deal in El Salvador or Nicaragua for $20 with no muss and no fuss? Answer: they wouldn’t.

7 — Rebelcelt wrote at 10:06 AM on October 16:

These crooked politicians have taken billions in bribes from the cartels. They were glad to get drug money from cartels for help in moving drugs across mexico into the U.S. now those cartels are powerful enough to overthrow the mexican goverment…of course it is the gringo U.S. fault.
Let us build that fence that would (1)severely limit the drug flow north (2)severely limit hte illegal immigration (3) severly limit the supposed Guns moving south.

8 — Sardonicus wrote at 1:49 PM on October 16:

Most of the Mexican drug dealers buy their assault weapons from their own corrupt police and army. Many of these weapons have been provided by the United States Government. I suppose the Narco-Terrorists get their grenades and RPG-7’s from Midwestern American gun stores as well?

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