National Review – Numbers Still Lie
This week The National Review attempted to once again debunk the infamous “70 to 80” (sometimes as high as 90) percent number – as in the percentage of guns that supposedly come from the United States, which are used in crimes in Mexico. This time it was Senator John Cornyn (R-Tex.) who offered his thoughts, writing:
The debate over U.S. gun laws and Mexican drug violence brings to mind Mark Twain’s famous quip about lies, damned lies, and statistics. In a recent editorial, the Washington Post blamed American policies for exacerbating the bloodshed, pointing out that “70 to 80 percent of the traceable guns seized in Mexico can be tracked to the United States.” The key word there is “traceable.” While it’s true that most of the traceable guns originated north of the border, those weapons represent a very small portion of total Mexican gun seizures.
According to a Government Accountability Office study based on data from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), only 7,200 of the roughly 30,000 guns seized by Mexican authorities in 2008 were sent to ATF for a tracing analysis. Scott Stewart of STRATFOR has noted that just 4,000 of them were found to be traceable. Of the traceable guns, 3,480 were linked back to the United States. In other words, only 12 percent of the guns confiscated in 2008 were positively traced to the United States. In May 2009, the Associated Press reported that the Mexican military had “305,424 confiscated weapons locked in vaults.” Because those weapons were not submitted to ATF, their origin is unclear.
If those in the Senate can see the problem with the numbers why can’t his fellow senators such as Dianne Feinstein, Sheldon Whitehouse and Charles Schumer see the same thing? Or is it that those against guns don’t mind that this lie about the numbers continues, as it could help their push for gun control?
Additionally Cornyn has been one of the few to explain the assault weapon ban and how it relates to Mexico:
What about the U.S. assault-weapons ban (AWB), which expired in 2004? Citing estimates from a senior Mexican official, the Post said that the portion of seized guns classified as “assault weapons” has grown from about one-third in 2005 to 60–65 percent today. Yet Mexican drug violence was accelerating before the AWB lapsed — in 2001, then-president Vicente Fox called for “a war without mercy” against the cartels — and President Felipe Calderón’s courageous post-2006 crackdown on organized crime has prompted the gangs (1) to fight back against the government and (2) to fight a lot more with each other.
But again it is easier for Calderon to blame America than admit he’s facing a failing battle against the cartels. The corruption in his own government is the cause of Mexico’s woes – not America’s guns.
Mexidata: Guns Flowing into Mexico
Time and time again the media likes to note that “guns are flowing” into Mexico, and most of the finger pointing is aimed squarely at the United States. But this week Mexidata offered a surprising passage:
It’s not as if there weren’t enough weapons floating around Mexico. There are plenty of them, and they’re not all from the U.S. But why make the situation even worse? Why would they make it easier to get more weapons into the hands of the drug cartels?
The Mexican newspaper added:
The whole issue of the American right to bear arms is relevant here. The Mexican government has blamed supposedly lax U.S. gun laws for the arming of the drug cartels, when in reality the drug cartels have other sources of weaponry beside the U.S. After all, drug barons do not exactly feel limited by any sort of law.
Why can’t the Mexican government see this – or more likely they do and they use this as an excuse for sympathy and more aid. But why can’t the American press see this truth? Why can’t the American people see it – or actually they could if the American media was truthful and honest in the reporting. But the fact is that Fast and Furious and the cartel wars can make American guns look bad, and even the Mexicans see this fact.
CBS News: Legal Gun Sales to Mexico
Time and time again the mainstream media has played up that a large percentage of firearms found at Mexican crime scenes came from the United States – or at least could be tracked back to America. The figures, which range from 70 percent to 90 percent, were even quoted by Mexican President Felipe Calderon and President Obama. The MSM cited these numbers over and over, and over.
And yet CBS News has reported something different:
CBS News investigative correspondent Sharyl Attkisson discovered that the official tracking all those guns sold through “direct commercial sales” leaves something to be desired.
One weapon – an AR-15-type semi-automatic rifle – tells the story. In 2006, this same kind of rifle – tracked by serial number – is legally sold by a U.S. manufacturer to the Mexican military.
Three years later – it’s found in a criminal stash in a region wracked by Mexican drug cartel violence.
This is truly an interesting turn of events, and one that needs to be considered at great length. Doesn’t this imply that American guns are flowing to Mexico, but not from straw purchases and from American gun shops, but rather from the U.S. Government to the Mexican military – where corrupt officials are in turn selling those weapons to the cartels?
This isn’t actually “news” as much as a fact that has been widely ignored by the gun-hating MSM.
Mexico’s Former President Says America Should Legalize Drugs
Last week the BBC reported that Vincente Fox, former President of Mexico, offered the opinion that the United States is “responsible for the violence in this country,” and that if drugs were legalized that this would somehow solve the problem.
Maybe if Mexico hadn’t let the problem get so bad it wouldn’t be the issue that it has become. But here again the Mexicans can’t look inward and instead blame America. That seems to be an all too familiar tune from south of the border. Fox blames drug laws while current President Felipe Calderon blames American guns. Do neither of these men blame their own system?
HULIQ: Conspiracy Theory: Fast and Furious an Attempt to Further Gun Control
This week HULIQ ran a story that bears resemblance to a lot of what we’ve been thinking. Clearly we are not alone, when it comes to “Conspiracy Theory: Fast and Furious an Attempt to Further Gun Control.” The story notes:
“The investigation into the ATF (Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms) undercover operation known as ‘Fast and Furious’ continues and is the stuff of conspiracy theories.”
Among the points addressed:
“Both presidents of Mexico and the U.S. have claimed that 90 percent of the weapons recovered by Mexican authorities in a variety of crimes originated in the U.S.; all this in support of the gun-control agenda. However, Bill McMahon, ATF deputy assistant director, testified that of 100,000 weapons recovered by Mexican authorities, only 18,000 were made, sold or imported from the U.S. Of those, 18,000, just 7,900 came from sales by licensed gun dealers—8 percent, not 90 percent.”
This is a point we’ve made time and time again. And consider too that President Obama had said he was working on gun control but “under the radar.” Could it be that Fast and Furious was meant to fly under the radar?
Mexico’s Calderon: What’s the Difference?
Last week The Los Angeles Times quoted a senior official in Mexican President Felipe Calderon administration:
“Yes, it was bad and wrong, and you have to ask yourself, what were they thinking? But, given the river of weapons that flows into Mexico from the U.S., do a few more make a big difference?”
This was in reference to Fast and Furious, but it implies that Calderon still believes (or simply wants to blame) the United States is the source of much of the firepower used in the ongoing drug war. The problem is that Calderon continues to cite data that has been widely debunked.
Of course he probably needs to cast the point of blame somewhere. It just shouldn’t be north of the border.
More Anti-Gun Bias From Time Magazine
While the gang war south of the border continues, Time magazine once again managed to point the finger at American guns. In a story titled, “Mexico’s Gangster Send a Grisly Message on Crime” there is not one mention of Fast and Furious or the ATF. Instead the article offers this passage:
“President Felipe Calderon was in New York telling the United Nations General Assembly that ‘organized crime is killing more people and more youngsters than all the dictatorships put together’. Since Calderon took office in December 2006, more than 40,000 people have died in drug related violence. The president also struck out at the United States for failing to stop guns sold in the U.S. from reaching Mexican criminals, and urged the U.N. to take on the problem. Tests show that a majority of the automatic rifles in the hands of Mexican criminals were purchased in gun stores north of the border. ‘For what reason do criminals have access to AK47s, grenades and rocket launchers?’ Calderon asked. ‘The U.N. has work to do on this.’”
The problem with this reporting is that it essentially backs up the notion that the United States is the source of illegal guns. But let’s look closer at that sentence:
“Tests show that a majority of automatic rifles in the hands of Mexican criminals were purchased in gun stores north of the border.”
This is Time magazine, not some high school newspaper. Shouldn’t the fact checkers be doing their jobs? Even most high school newspaper editors would probably catch the point that you can’t buy “automatic” as in “full automatic” weapons at gun stores in the United States. The second problem is that this statement is based on evidence that has been widely debunked. In fact, tests show that the majority of guns do NOT come from gun stores.
Finally, what about the grenades and rocket launchers? Time doesn’t take the time to even address that these are not the types of items one can purchase at any gun store in the United States.
Fort Wayne Editorial Questions Motives of Fast and Furious
It sounds like it has all the makings of a conspiracy worth of a pulp fiction novel or a movie, but unfortunately Fast and Furious is very real. As we’ve long maintained, we at FirearmsTruth don’t buy into wild conspiracy theories or the idea of “false flag” operations to create a crisis. But Fast and Furious is one that has us questioning whether the government would do such a thing.
And we’re not alone. This week Bob Aldridge, a Fort Wayne resident and National Rifle Association-certified firearms instructor offered a compelling editorial for The Journal Gazette. He looked at the purpose of Fast and Furious, which was to track firearms to the so-called “big fish,” and somehow hope the some 2,000 guns didn’t get swallowed up in a sea of criminals in the process. Obviously as a plan it wasn’t a good one.
Aldridge wonders if there was something more to it:
“So, what was the real purpose of Fast and Furious, since the claimed purpose was impossible? President Obama, Mexican President Calderon, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and numerous others have claimed, falsely, that 90 percent of the guns used in Mexican crimes come from the United States. Could it be the real purpose of Fast and Furious was to flood Mexico with illegal guns from the United States in order to fabricate statistics and justify gun control efforts by the Obama administration?”
While this notion has been suggested many times, Aldridge makes a compelling argument. But we disagree with one point he makes, as he notes “eventually, the truth will come out.” With this administration and with the way that most of the media treats it, we have to wonder if anyone really wants to know the truth.
Mexico President Points Fingers at America Following Casino Massacre
Once again the ineffective regime of Felipe Calderon has no one to blame, so it blames the United States. Reuters reported:
“President Felipe Calderon declared three days of mourning on Friday and demanded a crackdown on drugs in the United States after armed men torched a casino in northern Mexico, killing at least 52 people.”
The United States has long tried to crack down on drugs, but the Mexican government has long turned a blind eye to it. This continues, but now that the violence is increasing the Mexican government wants America to save it.
Our friend Dave Workman writing for the Examiner notes that Calderon is pointing fingers at everyone but his own government or people:
“Calderon is now busily blaming the ‘criminal sale of high-powered weapons and assault rifles’ that end up in the hands of drug cartel gunmen for enabling the attack that killed 52 people and left the casino ablaze.”
The question is whether the American media will actually buy this line and blame America for this tragedy south of the border?
Foreign Policy Offers “Facts” on Guns in Mexico
When a news outlet offers “some facts” we have to wonder if that means they’re going to ignore other facts. That is the feeling we have with a post from ForeignPolicy.com this week. There version of “some facts” included:
- 20,504 out 29,284 firearms recovered in Mexico in the past two years came from the U.S.
- 15,131 of those weapons were made in the U.S.
- 5,373 were foreign made but came through the U.S. (the remainder were of “undetermined origin”).
- The firearms overwhelmingly came from the southwest U.S. The top three states were Texas (39 percent); California (20 percent); and Arizona (10 percent).
- 34,612 people have died in organized crime-related killings since Dec. 2006, when Mexican President Felipe Calderon took office.
- 2010 was the bloodiest year yet in Mexico. Killings jumped 60 percent from the year before, with 15,273 people killed, up from 9,616.
What is missing:
-Any suggestion where those hand grenades and grenade launchers that are seen in the various photos of guns that have been seized?
-Many of the guns are fully automatic and suggest these were military shipments?
-How many guns did ATF allow to “walk” to Mexico?
- According to SEDENA (Mexico’s Secretariat of National Defense), in 2009 and 2010, 129,200 guns were seized in Mexico – there is a big different between 129,000 and 29,000 thousand guns. That is about 22 percent.
See, when you bring all the facts the numbers start to look different.
This is a revisit of the old 80 or 90 percent number. In this case the 70 percent number is just 70 percent of the 22 percent of guns actually sent for tracing!
