U.S. authorities on Tuesday reported a spike in seizures of guns and cash along the Mexican border since they began assigning more agents to stem the flow of southbound contraband.Nearly 600 illegal weapons were seized along the border by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials from March through September, an increase of more than 50 percent from the same period of 2008.
The agencies seized more than $40 million in cash along the border from mid-March through September, nearly double the amount in the year-ago period.
The seizures represent a tiny fraction of business done by Mexican and Colombian drug lords. According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, those drug lords generate $18 billion to $39 billion in wholesale drug proceeds in the United States each year. Cash proceeds are smuggled across the border to Mexico.
But U.S. officials said the figures demonstrate that heightened enforcement is paying off.
What's your opinion? Does this news indeed indicate that the increased efforts are paying off? Does this mean that the War on Drugs is not lost after all?
The article made mention of the origin of those weapons.
Mexico asked U.S. authorities to trace 12,073 firearms last year, up from only 2,906 in 2007 and 2,654 in 2006, according to the ATF. Of those successfully traced, the firearms bureau said about 90 percent came from the United States.
Isn't it funny that they still say that? I believe it's a bit clearer than it used to be. Now they're sure to include the phrase, "of those successfully traced." But, my question is, why do they keep saying it? Is the Associated Press an anti-gun organization?
What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.
Look up Tiahrt amendment. Also, some firearms before a certain date are untracable. SOme could originate outside of the United States and be untracable to the ATF database.
ReplyDeleteSo, there are a few resons that firearms could be untracable.
The Tiart Amendment does not prohibit law enforcement from tracing firearms.
ReplyDeleteIf Laci bothered to look it up and read it she'd know that. A woefully ignorant anti-gunner! What's new?
Mike - We could put up a wall on the border and still not stop the drugs & guns from coming in. The amounts coming in are staggering.
Good for you, Laci! Answering questions nobody asked!
ReplyDeleteYou must be a "Lawyer"!
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RS22458.pdf
ReplyDeleteGood for you, Hon.
ReplyDeleteI'm very impressed, really I am!
That's the first "Law Degree" I've ever seen printed on two-ply! It looks soft!
Laci, Thanks for that link.
ReplyDeleteOf course there are various reasons that guns cannot be traced. Our gun enthusiast friends like to pretend the guns selected for tracing were only the ones likely to come from the U.S. But, of course, that's not necessarily true.
"Our gun enthusiast friends like to pretend the guns selected for tracing were only the ones likely to come from the U.S. But, of course, that's not necessarily true."
ReplyDeleteDoesn't that make sense, MikeB?
If the Mexican authorities siezed guns which, due to their stampings and markings can visually be confirmed to have originated in Russia, China, etc., why submit those firearms for tracing in the ATF database?
Firearms manufactured in the U.S. prior to 1968 may not have a serial number since it was not required until 1968.
Just sit back and relax, we'll do your research for you.
And unlike the Brady Bunch, we won't lie to you.
The Tiart Amendment does not prohibit law enforcement from tracing firearms.
ReplyDeleteLaci & MikeB may not like the above statement, but it is the truth, no matter how much they want to deny it.
I wonder if they realize that the FOP supports Tiart?
"Just sit back and relax, we'll do your research for you."
ReplyDeleteHahahhaah ain't that the truth!