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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2009
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13

Mexican Cartels Have Little Trouble Getting US Guns

Lax laws, difficult tracing system make smuggling easy

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(Newser) – Thanks to lax gun laws that vary from state to state, smugglers providing arms to Mexican drug cartels can move vast quantities of weapons over the border for years without sparking suspicion. The subject may come up when President Obama visits Mexico tomorrow, but the political will to change US laws appears lacking. "The gun issue is the single one thing we can address, and we are not seeing it," a Texas police chief tells the New York Times.

Transporting the weapons isn’t hard, either: “If you stop me between the dealer and the border, I am still legal, because I can possess those guns,” says a US official. There’s no digital gun registry, meaning federal agents must follow an often-sloppy paper trail to trace weapons. Said one gun dealer: "When somebody walks in and says, ‘I need eight of these,’ it becomes apparent what’s happening."

Villagers walk near candles placed where five soldiers were gunned down by alleged cartel gunmen a week earlier in Caracuaro, Mexico, Sunday, May 6, 2007.
Villagers walk near candles placed where five soldiers were gunned down by alleged cartel gunmen a week earlier in Caracuaro, Mexico, Sunday, May 6, 2007.   (AP Photo/Guillermo Arias)
In this Nov. 7, 2008, file photo a soldier stands guard during a presentation in Mexico City of arms captured.
In this Nov. 7, 2008, file photo a soldier stands guard during a presentation in Mexico City of arms captured.   (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)
A masked police officer stands by weapons seized from alleged Sinaloa drug cartel members as they are displayed for the press in Mexico City, Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2008.
A masked police officer stands by weapons seized from alleged Sinaloa drug cartel members as they are displayed for the press in Mexico City, Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2008.   (AP Photo/Alexandre Meneghini)
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13 comments
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NutsInNY
Apr 15, 09 8:20 AM CDT
You can have my crateful of newly-purchased firearms from Virginia when you pry it from my cold dead arms. Reply
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shonangreg
Apr 15, 09 8:30 AM CDT
We need to reinstate the Assault Weapons Ban and we need to control handguns. Hunters and people wanting to defend their homes can do so with shotguns and non-automatic weapons. This is consistent with the intent of the Constitution. Reply
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IN RESPONSE:
Mr.C
Apr 15, 09 2:23 PM CDT
agreed.
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IN RESPONSE:
AClotfelter
Apr 15, 09 2:29 PM CDT
Once again, automatic weapons are not the issue here... those are not being sold
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woody66
Apr 15, 09 9:30 AM CDT
I'm sorry all you NRA folks out there but it's time to do something....yeah I know it's not the guns, it's the people ...but it's the weapon of choice, unregistered, uncontrolled and doing a lot of harm in human hands. It's not the heroin, cocaine or meth either but we seek to control that don't we ? Reply
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