Monday, April 13, 2009

Mexico is Awash with Weapons – Is the USA to Blame?

By Allan Wall

It’s been confidently reported, as of late, that the United States is the source of 90% of all the weapons utilized in Mexican crime. This has become a dogma, repeated by no less than Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and others. It’s an impressive-sounding statistic – but is it true?

In a word, no.

It’s not correct. The 90% figure was originally based upon a misunderstanding, and thereafter it has been constantly repeated in the media and political world.

According to a spokeswoman for the ATF (U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives), “over 90 percent of the traced firearms originate from the U.S.â€