Now we hear from Mexico

[mbw]

U.S., Mexico bicker over weapons ban that expired in '04
By STEWART M. POWELL

Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle Washington Bureau
Dec. 19, 2008, 8:52PM

WASHINGTON — A senior U.S. law enforcement official said Friday the Bush administration never assessed whether a decade-long assault weapon ban had reduced the flow of high-powered guns into the hands of Mexican drug gangs.
"I don't think we've ever really tracked it," said William McMahon, of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Since the expiration of the ban in 2004, Mexican drug syndicates have built up their stockpiles, Mexican officials say. They have long maintained that the weapons — many bought in Texas and smuggled into Mexico — have escalated the country's drug-fueled violence that has killed more than 5,400 people this year.

U.S. officials, by contrast, have insisted that the overriding challenge is to stem the relentless flood of illegal narcotics to American users.

The controversy flared Friday when the U.S. secretary of state and the Mexican foreign minister appeared at a joint news conference.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the ban's expiration had no bearing on Mexico's violence.
"I follow arms trafficking across the world, and I've never known illegal arms traffickers who cared very much about the law," Rice said. "And so I simply don't accept the notion that the lifting of the ban somehow has led arms traffickers to increase their activity."

But Mexican Foreign Secretary Patricia Espinosa said authorities in her country would favor restoration of the ban.
"If on the U.S. side there were a legislative decision to adopt an initiative like that, we would obviously be very attentive to that," she said.

Gun rights' groups suspect that President-elect Barack Obama may try to revive the ban on some automatic weapons. Obama's transition team listed "making the expired federal assault weapons ban permanent" as one of the goals of the incoming administration.

Rice and Espinosa met to coordinate implementation of the first phase of the Merida Initiative. The three-year, $1.4 billion U.S. assistance program was crafted by President George W. Bush to help Mexico combat the drug-smuggling gangs.
Of the initial $400 million due Mexico under the Merida Initiative, $340.2 million has been cleared for distribution.
But timetables for equipment procurement and spending schedules mean that none of the direct assistance has reached Mexico so far, said a State Department official speaking on condition of anonymity.
stewart.powell@chron.com


Thank You Condi Rice!

[flb_78]

Mexico should build a fence and patrol it to keep guns out of Mexico.

[Lodge2004]

I like Condi.

I don't care what Mexico thinks of our laws. They don't respect them anyhow.

[bdickens]

McMahon is flat-out wrong. the National Institute of Justice did two studies, one in 1999 and one in 2004 that found that the AWB had essentially no impact on crime.

[Lodge2004]

McMahon is flat-out wrong. the National Institute of Justice did two studies, one in 1999 and one in 2004 that found that the AWB had essentially no impact on crime.

I agree it had NO impact in the US, but I believe they are saying they never tracked if the AWB had an impact on crime in Mexico.

A more complete statement from the BATF would have been something like:

"I don't think we've ever really tracked it, but then again, why would we? If Mexico is concerned about the smuggling of illegal products into their country they should control their border." said William McMahon, of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

[KC5AV]

McMahon is flat-out wrong. the National Institute of Justice did two studies, one in 1999 and one in 2004 that found that the AWB had essentially no impact on crime.

I agree it had NO impact in the US, but I believe they are saying they never tracked if the AWB had an impact on crime in Mexico.

A more complete statement from the BATF would have been something like:

"I don't think we've ever really tracked it, but then again, why would we? If Mexico is concerned about the smuggling of illegal products into their country they should control their border." said William McMahon, of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

There you go using common sense again. This is the BATFE we're talking about. Please try to keep up.

[boomerang]

Mexico should build a fence and patrol it to keep guns out of Mexico.

[anygunanywhere]

Who gives a rat patoot whether or not any law in the US has any affect on Mexico except whether or not a huge impassable wall is built.

Anygunanywhere

[HighVelocity]

If Mexico had no drugs to export, there wouldn't be anything for the cartels to fight over. The end.

[flintknapper]

McMahon is flat-out wrong. the National Institute of Justice did two studies, one in 1999 and one in 2004 that found that the AWB had essentially no impact on crime.

I agree it had NO impact in the US, but I believe they are saying they never tracked if the AWB had an impact on crime in Mexico.

A more complete statement from the BATF would have been something like:

"I don't think we've ever really tracked it, but then again, why would we? If Mexico is concerned about the smuggling of illegal products into their country they should control their border." said William McMahon, of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

There you go using common sense again. This is the BATFE we're talking about. Please try to keep up.

I'm tellin' ya....this has just got to STOP!

[FIFTY]

Gun rights' groups suspect that President-elect Barack Obama may try to revive the ban on some automatic weapons.

It really bothers me that the media cannot wrap their minds around what exactly a new ban would prohibit. There has been a lot of talk about a new assault weapons ban. One would think that, after all this coverage, more news papers would have learned the difference between an automatic and a semi-automatic gun. It's the same people that assume that just because a rifle looks scary it is most certainly fully automatic.

[boomerang]

Mexico has strict gun laws. Their violent crime rate is a direct result of their public policy.

[Furyataurus]

I say we make a trade with Mexico. We send back illegal's and they send back the guns and ammo to be auctioned off.

[casingpoint]

f Mexico had no drugs to export, there wouldn't be anything for the cartels to fight over

If people in the U.S. didn't do dope, Mexico wouldn't have a market for drugs. Now, that's the end root of the problem. Like Pogo said, "I have seen the enemy, and he is us."

[Fangs]

If dope wasn't illegal in the U.S., Americans could just grow their own...

I don't smoke the reefer, but I've had a room mate or two who did. I've seen alcohol have much worse effects than pot. Alcohol causes more car wrecks, fights, etc. than weed ever could. I'd personally be all for legalizing it with the stipulation that any crimes committed while under the influence be punished more severely. Call me naive, but I believe this would cut down on drug violence considerably, and cut into the drug dealer's pockets. DEA could then focus on more dangerous drugs like coke and meth.