Page 6 - ARUBA TODAY

A6 U.S. NEWS
Monday 1 october 2018

As immigrants flow across US border, American guns go south

By LISA MARIE PANE tention of tracking them
Associated Press to criminal organizations.
Among the thousands of But the ATF lost most of the
immigrants who have been guns, including two that
coming across the U.S.- were found at the scene
Mexico border in recent of a slaying of a U.S. Border
months, many are seeking Patrol agent.
to escape gang and drug In 2011, gun dealers along
violence raging in their the border states were re-
homelands. The weapon of quired to report to the ATF
choice used to intimidate anytime someone pur-
them? Often an American- chased two or more semi-
made gun. automatic long guns in a
While the flow of drugs and five-day period.
immigrants into the U.S. has President Donald Trump is-
been well-documented for sued an executive order in
decades and become a 2017 as his response to gun
regular part of the political trafficking, directing fed-
debate, what is often over- eral agencies to ramp up
looked is how gangs and prosecution aimed at go-
drug cartels exploit weak- ing after foreign criminals
nesses at the border to and to improve coordina-
smuggle guns from the U.S. tion among federal agen-
into Latin America. cies along the border.
A 2013 report by the Uni- In this Jan. 25, 2011, file photo, a cache of seized weapons that were to be smuggled into Mexico Nabbing the guns at the
versity of San Diego says is displayed in Phoenix. border is a challenge on
the number of firearms Associated Press several levels. They aren’t
smuggled from the United Gun violence in El Salva- of immigration into the U.S., effective way to combat as detectable as drug ship-
States was so significant dor is so rampant that the with the government say- the problem is not with ments, and they can be
that nearly half of Ameri- country has been averag- ing nearly 16,000 families stricter gun laws but by disassembled and loaded
can gun dealers rely on ing more than one shoot- came across the border eradicating drug cartels with legal goods making
that business to stay afloat. out a day between police in August alone — many and other criminal enter- their way from the U.S.
On average, an estimated and gangs this year, said Ri- of them from those three prises. “The effectiveness of this
253,000 firearms each year cardo Sosa, a criminologist countries. They say the numbers are kind of gun smuggling
are purchased in the Unit- specializing in gangs and Gun-control groups con- inflated and that the indus- still remains very high. It
ed States expressly to be security in El Salvador. tend that the U.S. govern- try has proactively sought doesn’t take a whole lot,”
sent to Mexico, the report “In every one of these op- ment is essentially export- to educate licensed gun said David Shirk, one of the
said, the vast majority of erations, police are able to ing gang violence to Latin dealers on how to de- University of San Diego re-
the sales originating in the seize between two and six America with permissive tect “straw purchases,” in port’s authors.
border states of California, firearms at the scene,” he gun laws — which in turn which a firearm is bought Experts say a big reason
Texas, New Mexico and Ari- said. “That is one of the in- creates an immigration cri- expressly to give it to some- gun trafficking remains
zona. dicators that the gangs are sis along the border. one who otherwise would one of the hot commodi-
Once in Mexico, the weap- armed on many occasions “If the Trump administration not be able to legally own ties flowing from the United
ons end up in the hands of with long guns and short were serious about wanting a gun. “Obviously, Mexico States into Latin America is
drug cartels or get shipped guns for each one of their to stop refugees from flee- has a huge problem with profit.
to gangs in Honduras, Gua- members.” ing violence in Latin Amer- rampant corruption that Retired ATF agent Bernard
temala and El Salvador — Mexico last year recorded ica and Mexico to come clearly cannot be blamed Zapor noted that an AR-
countries that are dealing its highest number of mur- north, they would be doing on the U.S.,” the NRA said platform firearm that sells
with an epidemic of gun ders in nearly two decades, something about the south- in a position paper on the retail in the U.S. for $1,000
violence. with more than 31,000 peo- ward gun trafficking that is issue in 2009. “At the same can fetch more than $4,000
Armed holdups on public ple killed, higher than even fueling a lot of that migra- time, Mexico has extremely in Mexico. A box of ammo
transportation are a regu- during the country’s drug tion,” said Adam Skaggs, prohibitive gun laws, yet that might go for just un-
lar occurrence in Hondu- war in 2011. It continues un- chief counsel with the Gif- has far worse crime than der $200 could command
ras, where nearly half of abated with an average of fords Law Center. the U.S.” $3,000.
the unregistered weapons 88 people killed each day Gun-rights activists say the Under the Obama admin- “They’re not buying grand-
originated in the U.S., the in the first five months of this issue is overblown and mis- istration, federal authori- pa’s old shotgun that’s
federal Bureau of Alcohol, year. characterized. ties launched an operation been lying around and
Tobacco, Firearms and Ex- The bloodshed in Guate- The National Rifle Associa- dubbed Fast and Furious found in a shed,” Zapor
plosives reported in recent mala, Honduras and El Sal- tion and other gun-rights that allowed criminals to said. “They’re buying brand
years. vador has been a big driver groups contend the most buy firearms with the in- new Colt AR-15s.”q