How U.S. Weapons Fuel Mexico's Violence
The U.S. has become Mexico's primary source of illegally trafficked weapons, with 72% of such firearms originating there. The ATF report reveals a 20.3% increase in trafficking cases involving Mexico between 2017 and 2021.
In a world where shadows run the underworld, an unsettling reality looms just beneath the surface—one that involves not shady briefcase deals under flickering lights but a booming trade of lethal consequences. Welcome to the disturbing odyssey of illegal arms trafficking, with Mexico standing at the receiving end, hosting 72% of all illicit firearms smuggled from the United States. And if that number isn’t unsettling enough, here’s a figure to ruminate over: it’s more than 11 times that of Canada, its snowy northern counterpart, which comes in second place at a modest 6.5%. In this game of lethal exports, the numbers speak, and they don't whisper—they roar.
The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) recently published a comprehensive document with a name as formidable as its content—National Assessment of Firearms Trade and Trafficking. It's the Biden administration's take on the wild west of gun running, and no, we’re not talking about dusty saloons and quick-draw duels. This is about sleek pistols and semi-automatic rifles crossing borders like they’re postcards, only much, much deadlier.
