Mexican Government Arming Cartels

From Shooting News Weekly: "Shocker: New Report Details Extent to Which Mexican Government is Arming Drug Cartels." From the lede:

    A stunning report alleging that many of the American-made guns showing up at Mexican crime scenes were originally purchased by the Mexican government should trigger an official investigation, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms is demanding.

    “Contrary to what America has been told for years—that Mexican crime guns are obtained illicitly from U.S. gun dealers thanks to lax gun laws here—it now appears the Mexican government may be a major source of those firearms,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “Once again, it appears U.S. gun dealers and the Second Amendment have been taking the rap for violent crimes in another country, when the truth is staggering.”

The link to the "report" above goes to an article from the Baltimore Sun which is, unfortunately, behind a paywall (unless you want to give them your email address). However, the website, Full Measure, appears to have an excerpt from a video news story by the reporter that wrote the Baltimore piece, Sharyl Attkisson (you can also see the video, here). If her name seems familiar, she was one of the reporters to break the news about Obama's "Fast & Furious" program.

    But back to her article. She relates that, according to a former ATF agent, John Dodson, "[t]he vast majority of crime guns recovered in Mexico are purchased directly by the Mexican government."

    Tracing data confirms it. Most of the U.S. firearms recovered from Mexican crime scenes weren’t trafficked or smuggled. They were legally purchased by the Mexican government.

    Exact numbers are hard to come by but a 2023 State Department report confirms the U.S. approved $147.7 million in small arms sales to Mexico from companies like Sig Sauer and Glock. Still more weapons are supplied through U.S. Foreign Military Sales. 

 * * *

    So how are so many legally-sold guns making it from the Mexican government into the hands of killer cartels? Believe it or not, the State Department only audits a tiny sample to find out — less than 1% of foreign sales. But the results are disturbing. In 2009, 26% of the arms had been “diverted” to criminals.

 It sometimes seems that every government in the world is the enemy of its own people.