Trump, Mexico Reach Agreement On Illegal Guns Crossing Border

While Mexico’s problem with violence isn’t the fault of the United States or the Second Amendment, it does seem that at least a fair number of guns being used there do originate in the United States. While it’s unlikely the U.S. is the only source, it’s still going to be a major source for illegal firearms in a country whose internal security is only somewhat better than Hillary Clinton’s email server’s.

Advertisement

Again, it’s not the United States’ fault that Mexico is bordering on failed state status, but no one should want American guns flowing south either.

To that end, President Trump and the Mexican government have reached an agreement meant to try and stem the tide in that regard.

President Trump has reached an agreement with his Mexican counterpart to halt the sales of weapons into neighboring Mexico. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador spoke with the president over the phone this week about the urgent need to stem the flow of illegal guns.

The conversation came days after violence broke out on the streets of Culiacán in broad daylight. The violence was reportedly carried out by members of the Sinaloa Cartel, which was formerly led by the son of drug cartel kingpin Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman. The Mexican National Guard said at least 200 troops were deployed to the city following the release of Ovidio Guzman on Thursday.

“The weapons that we saw in Culiacán…can easily penetrate pretty much any bulletproofing, including cement,” said Ebrard. “If both countries use technology, we can stop at the border and freeze arms trafficking — which is causing issues in Mexico like we’ve just seen.”

One proposal to curb gun flow included installing metal x-rays at the U.S.-Mexico border, but other options are said to be in the works.

Advertisement

Trump and Obrador are set to have further discussion on the topic in the coming days.

We can probably assume that the ATF not actively sending guns across the border is a given.

Stopping the flow of guns south is, ultimately, a good thing for gun rights advocates if for no other reason than to remove an anti-gun talking point from consideration. Mexican violence has been just one point anti-gunners love to point to in order to try and justify gun control here in the United States. Removing that from consideration would ultimately be a bit of a win.

However, there’s also the fact that I’d rather American guns stay here in the United States. If they’re stolen guns–and I suspect a large percentage of them are–then there’s a chance for them to be returned to their lawful owners if they stay in the country. If they end up in Mexico, not so much.

At the end of the day, stopping guns going into Mexico is fine. It works out well for American interests as well, after all, especially for those of us in the gun community.

Of course, that’s just at first blush. We’ll have to wait to see just how far these discussions try and take this matter. It’s possible that there will be a push for the U.S. to adopt more gun control or something equally stupid, and that’s a non-starter for many Americans. We can assume that the ATF not actively sending guns across the border is a given.

Advertisement

This is something worth keeping an eye on.

Join the conversation as a VIP Member