Of course, these same quoted Mexican officials made no mention of changing their own to laws to allow the little people to own some cold steel with which they could protect themselves and their families from corrupt federales and cartel predators. Typically, the purchaser turns the guns over to a broker who takes them across the border to Mexico, where such weapons cannot be bought legally. See any connections here? Drug cartels have been using monster type armored cars for about 15 Just look at the numbers for their drug war: So same basic rules as slinging coffee at Starbucks, only with slightly higher stakes if somebody doesn't buy your fake smile. If you want to keep guns out of the country, you do not appear to be making any real effort at it. is on the streets after a gun battle between Mexican security forces and suspected cartel gunmen, in Villa Union, Mexico . Gunmen battled on a beach near Puerto Morelos as tourists scrambled into a Hyatt . Man, how awful am I gonna feel if one of these guys gets plugged with a weapon I sold? The M82 can easily penetrate bulletproof vests, concrete walls and even tanks, says its manufacturer Barrett Firearms. And, lucky for them, America had a surplus of Barretts, because "fuck yeah.". Even the much worshiped pre-64 Winchester Model 70s were laughed at by the Europeans when they were first marketed even though the pre-war guns were not all that bad but workmanship after WWII went down rapidly at Winchester. National Police Chief Gen. Oscar Naranjo, holds a handgun seized to Colombian drug lord and former paramilitary leader Pedro Guerrero Castillo, known as "Cuchillo" (Knife), as he speaks during a press conference in Bogota, Colombia, on December 29, 2010. Its a very symbolic weapon in the narco world and for the narco esthetic, Grandmaison said. A gold-plated AK-47 rifle seized to alleged leader of "The Resistance" drugs cartel, Ramiro Pozos Gonzalez, aka "El Molca", is presented to the press in Mexico City, on September 12, 2012. The majority of U.S. states allow citizens to buy .50-caliber weapons . I'm like, 'makes sense, he's a military kid.' The underground trade of weapons to Mexico is worth hundreds of millions of dollars annuallywith American guns used to kill tens of thousands of Mexicans each year. Houston pitmaster goes viral after hilarious TV interview, Houston is ugly, and I've never felt more at home, Astros GM Dana Brown has more praise team's top prospect, Turner: TEA is giving Houston ISD two optionsclose school or be taken over, Two ocelots were photographed crossing a road in rare South Texas sighting, Willie Nelson's new album is a lovely tribute to a fellow country legend. SHARE AK-47 favorite gun of I tend to like Belgian, Swiss, German, Austrian, and Italian guns. You have entered an incorrect email address! Body armour and load-bearing equipment were used by many cartel members, including examples marked 'Marina' (Marines) or 'Polica Estatal' (State Police). In summer, a command intercepted a dozen tourists after being mistaken for members of a rival cartel. Here's the Sick Tactic Cartels Are Using to Smuggle Members Into the Smuggled guns used in cartel hits - CNN.com A spokeswoman for Bushmaster did not respond to repeated calls for comment. A 9mm browning pistol has the diamond encrusted initials of LMJ. Cartels exploiting border chaos to smuggle fentanyl into US - New York Post A large-scale drug investigation in the Valley led to the seizure of millions of fentanyl pills, thousands of pounds of meth and more. The Chicago study proved guns used in crime were often at least 11 years old and had passed through many hands making it impossible to trace them to the person that used them in a crime. Excuse the pun, but when are you gonna pull the trigger on this? Another solid reason for the U.S. to pass universal back ground checks. Theres a little bit of The Dude in a lot of Jeff Bridges performances. Meanwhile, the Mexican government blames prominent U.S. gun manufacturers for the influx of cartel weaponsin its lawsuit against them in federal court in Boston. ReporterKarolSurez contributed to this story. The state, about a five-hour drive west of Mexico City,is known for its production of avocados. Top ATF officials have said in congressional testimony that 90 percent of the guns submitted for tracing by Mexican authorities are from the United States. Build the wall, Mexico. Violence in Mexico has claimed nearly 40,000 lives since President Felipe Calderon began a military offensive aimed at overpowering drug cartels. Christ, John; do a little digging please, since this article is easily refuted/debunked, American and Mexican law enforcement officials say nearly all of the gun violence in Mexico is fueled by the illicit import and sale of U.S. firearms. MEXICAN drug cartels are using high-powered sniper rifles which fire bullets the size of cigars to take down police helicopters. The majority of U.S. states allow citizens to buy .50-caliber weapons, something Mexico reserves for its military. Build the wall. They know how to pull the wool over your eyes.". ATF agents say almost 100 of those weapons have turned up at cartel-related crime scenes in. The cartels then use their members or contract with associates to serve as"consolidators.". If not, they should be left alone. I think thats pretty fair. A jury didn't believe him,convictingJose RafaelVasquez last month of attempting to smuggle goods out of the country. Oh, surprise, surprise, who was AG of California when this was happening?? So, thats bad, thats a horror. These firearms couldnt possibly coming through California. "Their goal is the bulk purchase of maximum firepower.". Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Did they buy ammo? ", The cartels were smart enough to pick buyers who wouldn't instantly set off alarm bells (aka clean-cut and often white). Subscribe to our YouTube channel, and check out another How To Solve The Country's Gun Problem, and watch other videos you won't see on the site! It works the same way when gun runners from the U.S. funnel second hand guns into Mexico. Agreed. PDF OPTIONS FOR U.S. AND MEXICAN POLICY-MAKERS - The Institute of Politics Guns are funneled into the closest or easiest crossing into Mexico and they come from other states with lax laws. MEXICO: Stop the flow of Immigrants going north and maybe we will do something about guns going south across the border. That leaves the military as the only ones able to battle thecartels.. Then, he says, 'Oh, I've been interested in the Barrett.' . Our source and his employer had just been drawn into the ATF's latest kooky adventure. AK-47 favorite gun of cartels - Deseret News They also discoveredmore than 10,000 rounds of ammunition hidden in an ice chest in the gas tankand inside the spare tire,court records show. The raw power of therifle, which weighs about 31 lb and is 4.9 feet long, was on show in mid-2020 during a military-style assassination attempt on Mexico Cityspolicechief that was captured by surveillance cameras. Pass national weapons carry reciprocity with jail time and heavy fines for any government agent who violates any citizens carry rights. Violence is rampant across Mexico. He pulls a paper bag out, takes out 10 grand in cash rubber-banded in thousand dollar increments. Gunmen who left behind at least one M82riflewere seen spraying the armor-plated car ofpolicechief Omar Garcia Harfuch with high-velocity rounds. Into Mexico.. Our own government is gifting military weapons to Mexico & those arms are being used by the cartels. See I figured they were big fans of German guns, going back to that huge illegal arms contract HK won for the cartels awhile back. Theycould each face up to 10 years in prison. Pre-order it now! "It's hard to pinpoint exactly where we think a particular load (of guns) we seized was going,"Lestrange said. In Mexico City, the military has a museum used to train officials, diplomats, and cadets about the war on drugs. If American made guns are somehow responsible for all this killing by the evil people using them, why do you allow them to enter your country so easily? The Bureau Of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), despite sounding like the most fun bureau in history, generally frowns on that kind of thing. A Hearst Newspapers survey of 1,600 guns purchased mostly in Texas and Arizona which were either shipped to Mexico or intercepted en route shows the Bushmaster .223 AR-15 ranks second among firearms apparently used in drug warfare. leaks of official weaponry bought by the Mexican military. According to prosecutors, the weapons are believed to belong to the Valencia gang, allies of the powerful Sinaloa drug cartel, and most of the 31 pistols found in the raid had gold or silver-plated grips or glittered with diamonds. Further investigation revealed that from Jan. 21, 2020 to July 11, 2022, Hernandez had purchased 231 handguns 9mm's, .380's and .22's which officials suspect he smuggled into Mexico. A row of glass cases are filled with seized weapons. Within the next 45 minutes to an hour, they would come in. If the laws actually worked, wouldnt Arizona, New Mexico, or Texas be the easier route? Mexico Sues US Gun Makers Over Illegal Guns Flowing Across - Insider Barretts were basically the only gun the cartels wanted, and while they are both ridiculous and rich, we get the strange feeling these weren't meant as toys " it started to get more and more severe. M53 gun truck "LIL SURESHOT", outfitted with a forward fighting box . A total of 852, 29 percent, were from Arizona. 1 gun in the Hearst survey was the AK-47 imported from Romania by Century International Arms of Delray Beach, Fla. Century Arms, as it's commonly known, legally circumvents a federal law stipulating that imported rifles must be suitable for "sporting purposes." Mayor: HISD has two optionsclose school or be taken over, Rare photos show 2 ocelots crossing South Texas road, Willie Nelson pays lovely tribute to another country legend. Copyright 2023 Deseret News Publishing Company. In fact, according to Newsweek, cartel criminals view American guns as status symbols because, well, they work.
favorite guns of drug cartels