For decades the debate has been heated on both sides of the gun issue….should we control guns…should we not control guns……but now there is a bit of a new twist added to that debate.
Recently a story by the AP’s Suzane Gamboa sheds some new light on the issue.
Members of Congress may be alarmed by the surge in Mexican drug violence and its potential to spill across the border, but they grow silent when the talk turns to gun control as a solution.
Mexico’s drug violence has killed more than 9,000 people since President Felipe Calderon took office in December 2006 as gangs battle each other for territory and fight off a government crackdown.
Underscoring the Obama administration’s concern over the violence and the potential for a large-scale spillover into the United States, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will travel to Mexico on Wednesday to show support for its crackdown on drug cartels.
Mexico has long tried to get the United States to curtail the number of guns — many purchased legally — that wind up south of the border, where gun laws are much stricter. The State Department says firearms obtained in the U.S. account for an estimated 95 percent of Mexico’s drug-related killings.
For his part, Obama has signaled a willingness to tighten restrictions on guns, calling the flow of drug money and guns “a two-way situation.” Yet 65 Democrats said in a letter to Holder that they would oppose any attempt by the administration to revive a ban on military-style weapons.
Congress did provide $45 million this year for Project Gunrunner, a federal program aimed at curbing the flow of guns. Rep. Ciro Rodriguez, a Texas Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, said he will seek another $30 million over two years for the program and $30 million more to fund efforts by Immigration and Customs Enforcement to crack down on gun trafficking.
Oh my God, I can see the letters now–they, whoever they are, will turn this into something it is not. And this post will most likely generate interest. I am not coming down on one side or the other, but I can see why this issue is being raised.
Thanks for mentioning this–I was thinking about this situation the other day. I’m for gun control as it is, particularly when it comes to automatic and semi-automatic weapons. I see this as a point on my side of the debate.
I agree…I still have not had a good argument of why an American would need any automatic gun……and I see what the story is saying that the ease of getting guns and then taking them back across the border is just too damn easy.
But you know…I thought I would get more trash from gun nuts…..I guess they are busy with something else….tee hee
Well, obviously bans on guns are working in Mexico. Criminals don’t respect the law so they’re going to find ways to get their hands on them whatever way they can. The solution is not to tighten gun laws in America. What happened to the Constitution and our Second Amendment rights? If the violence spreads into America — as it seems to be. The kidnapping rate in Arizona has gone up dramatically recently http://tinyurl.com/cuyyw6
— we’re going to be needing those firearms for the safety of our homes and families. http://tinyurl.com/cysj5p