Mexico, we are oft reminded, is a cesspool of violence. Drug cartel-related violence has led to a murder rate five times higher than the United States — and guns, it seems unnecessary to add, play a huge role in this.
So, where do these criminals get their firearms? Well, as one of the top firearms scholars in America likes to point out, it’s certainly not through a legal process.
John R. Lott Jr. is the president of the Crime Prevention Resource Center. He’s been busy throwing cold water on the Michael Bloomberg crowd since before Michael Bloomberg was the face of it. His most well-known book, 1998’s “More Guns, Less Crime,” gave compelling statistical evidence for that old conservative maxim. He’s been doing so in various forms ever since.
Lott stumbled upon a Wall Street Journal article from last week referencing the deaths from Mexico’s ongoing problem with gang violence.
Mexico’s officially had 31,174 murders in 2017, a rate 5 times the US rate, but was the true rate a little higher. ‘It’s a Crisis of Civilization in Mexico.’ 250,000 Dead. 37,400 Missing.
Those are some pretty galling facts buttressed by equally galling stories. You may get the point, but Lott drove home just how much of a point it is:
The Los Angeles Times ran a story about this gun store in back in May.
“The only gun shop in all of Mexico is behind a fortress-like wall on a heavily guarded military base,” reporter Kate Linthicum wrote.
“To enter the Directorate of Arms and Munitions Sales, customers must undergo months of background checks — six documents are required — and then be frisked by uniformed soldiers.
Read the rest at: Mexican Guns
