The "Myth" of Gun Trafficking

A recent piece in The Wall Street Journal is helping to put to rest the false claim that America’s firearms industry plays a role in illegal firearms trafficking operations. The article, written by criminologist Gary Kleck, confirms Department of Justice and independent research dispelling gun control propaganda on the issue of trafficking into Mexico.

Fortunately, Kleck goes on to address this very serious allegation. “It’s likely that police in Mexico submit for ATF tracing only those crime guns that they believe originated in the U.S. This would be reasonable, since those are the ones that the ATF is likely to be able to trace, but it is not a sample from which to generalize. Even if guns of American origin account for only a small share of all Mexican crime guns, they would comprise nearly all of those submitted by the Mexican authorities for tracing by the ATF.”

Similarly important, firearms traced in Mexico were originally sold at retail not recently, but, on average, 14 years earlier. This is completely inconsistent with any notion that a flood of newly purchased firearms are being illegally smuggled over the border.



http://www.opposingviews.com/i/the-myth-of-gun-trafficking


It still amazes me how that 90% statement was taken out of context and propagated. Such is the level of journalism these days.

"'It still amazes me how that 90% statement was taken out of context and propagated"

a representative of ATF very clearly stated that OF THE GUNS TURNED OVER FOR TRACE - 90% were successfully traced. It is at best bad reporting, and at worst an active agenda, that ran with "90% of guns seized in Mexico traced back to U.S."

And it attracts far more "concerned" US readers than does, say, pointing out that the cartels get vast amounts of true military-grade weaponry from Central America, Asia, and from the Mexican Government--that latter being by far the largest source of US made weapons in Mexico.

Maybe it already is .
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The death of a Bexar County sheriff's sergeant who died in a hail of gunfire as he sat in his patrol car is being investigated for a possible connection to Mexico's drug cartels, county officials said on Tuesday.

Sergeant Kenneth Vann was "targeted because he represented the government," Sheriff Amadeo Ortiz told Reuters.

Vann, 48, was in uniform, sitting in his marked patrol car at a corner on San Antonio's southeast side early Saturday when a small white car pulled up beside him, and somebody in the car fired an estimated 28 shots from an automatic weapon, possibly an AK-47 rifle, Ortiz said. No suspects are in custody.

"I think that they picked on a police officer because he was a symbol of authority," Ortiz said on Tuesday.

He said there is no evidence Vann's movements had been tracked that morning, indicating the 24-year law enforcement veteran was not likely targeted personally. Ortiz called it an attack "on a random law enforcement officer."

"The general public, I don't think, should have that much to fear," Ortiz said .

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Are we there yet ? Are we there yet ? Are we there yet ? Are we there yet ? Are we there yet ? Are we there yet ? Are we there yet ? Are we there yet ? Are we there yet ? Are we there yet ? Are we there yet ? Are we there yet ? Are we there yet ?

...figures can lie and liars can figure. :thumbsdown:

famous for calling adults "children" to pad their stats. Do you have any critique of this, or of the ATF testimony before congress that said "of the guns given over for trace - 90% were successfully traced." Do you think that ATF representative was "figuring" or were the reporters that ran with "90% of guns seized in Mexico traced to U.S." were the ones "figuring"?

...it is clear that of the 7200 guns submitted to the ATF for tracing that 3480 (48%) were "successfully traced" to the US. This statement you quote is clearly wrong. The ATF rep is definitely responsible for giving out incorrect information. Whether that was deliberate or not and who else was at fault, I am not certain.

However, the reporters/journalists seizing on this as a chance to grab headlines and make an on-air "splash" without completely the raw numbers examined (by someone able to run a calculator) is nothing less than utterly irresponsible and deceptive.

In short the ATF put out some erroneous info that the press ran with because there is a bit too much yellow journalism running around. It is a true shame that the press, having the public role of keeping the government accountable, is not quite as accountable as it should be.

How many of the 12%(3,480) were US government to MX government approved by the DOD?

the ones that entered through the southern border and "left behinds" from Vietnam. Some of those have shown up too.

the Mexican government might be corrupt? That the cartels are using their vast pool of cash to buy "lost" firearms from the Mexican government? Firearms sold to the MX government by the US government? Oh shock and horror!

grenades, RPG's and rockets at gun shops in the USA. AND they pay full MSRP too!

Oneshooter
Armed and Livin in Texas

:sarcasm:

Simply because I would expect the Mexican federal government to keep records of firearms imported for transfer to military and law enforcement agencies, so a) it wouldn't be necessary, and (more importantly) b) I doubt they'd want let the ATF know how many guns are getting into cartel hands from government stocks.