Mexican Drug Violence Fueled by U.S. Guns
As thousands of U.S. weapons enter Mexico each year, the Mexican government has grown increasingly frustrated with the United States, arguing that Washington is not effectively countering gun trafficking. In a speech to the U.S. Congress on May 20th, 2010, President Calderón said, “We cannot ignore the fact that the challenge to our security has roots on both sides of the border.” Mexico argues that the White House has focused almost exclusively on curbing the flow of drugs from Mexico into the United States but has done little to stop the smuggling of guns in the reverse direction. In 2010, nearly 80% of the weapons confiscated by Mexican officials were traced to the United States, leading Mexico to maintain that the U.S. is unintentionally fueling the violence in their nation. Moreover, the Mexican government’s anger further escalated in recent months, when it was found that a botched U.S investigation called «Operation Fast and Furious» knowingly allowed several thousands of U.S.-sourced guns to enter Mexico. As a part of this plan, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) had encouraged the sale of weapons to suspected gun traffickers in order to track them.
The increasing number of guns smuggled into Mexico, along with the recent ATF scandal, are very disappointing for gun-control groups that hoped the Obama administration would bring improvements. However, President Obama’s ability to significantly curtail gun trafficking is limited by weak gun laws and all-powerful National Rifle Association (NRA) lobbyists, which together pose a huge obstacle for the enactment of effective policies dealing with the issue.
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This analysis was prepared by COHA Research Associate Katie Soltis.
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