United States and Mexican Efforts to Battle Gun Trafficking Falter, Reports GAO Michael O'Boyle and Patricia Zengerle - Reuters
go to original January 11, 2016

Most of the guns in Mexico are smuggled in from the United States – Mexico actually has extremely strict gun control laws. So strict, in fact, that there's only one store in the entire country where citizens can legally purchase a gun. (Tech Insider)

Efforts to combat illegal gunrunning from the United States to Mexico has stumbled in recent years, hampered by less cooperation between U.S. and Mexican officials, according to a report from a U.S. federal watchdog agency obtained by Reuters.

The draft report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), to be released after the latest arrest of Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, also criticized U.S. law enforcement agencies for not ensuring they are effectively working together to fight arms smuggling by Mexico's ruthless drug cartels.

Squabbling between U.S. authorities and Mexico over Guzman has put an intense focus on the issue of cooperation. Mexico, which refused to extradite him to the United States when he was arrested in 2014, was formally starting extradition proceedings against Guzman after his latest capture.

"Efforts to stem firearms trafficking between the United States and Mexico were scaled back as the administration of Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto reconsidered bilateral law enforcement cooperation," the report said, citing U.S. and Mexican officials.

Mexico tightly restricts gun sales but the flow south of U.S. weapons helped fuel battles between drug gangs and security forces that have killed more than 100,000 people since 2007.

Read the rest at Reuters

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