Senate bill looks to stem gun flow to Mexico

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Bingaman bill looks to stem gun flow to Mexico

 

From the Current-Argus

Posted: 01/12/2009 09:49:33 PM MST

 

WASHINGTON — In an effort to crack down on illegal weapons smuggling and reduce drug-related violence near the U.S.-Mexico border, Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M, Monday introduced the Southwest Border Violence Reduction Act of 2009.

 

Cosponsored by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson, R-Texas, the bill was first introduced in spring of 2008.

 

According to figures produced by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and released by Bingaman's office, 90 percent of weapons seized in Mexico come from sources in the United States. The weapons are used by drug cartels to control their drug shipment routes and funnel illegal narcotics into the U.S.

 

Because Mexico has stringent rules on gun possession, stopping the flow of illegal guns into that country is essential in the fight against transnational drug trafficking organizations, a spokesman for Bingaman's office said.

 

The ongoing violence in Mexico is having a devastating impact on Mexico and raises concerns in communities on both sides of the border. In 2008, more than 5,300 people were killed in Mexico double the number for 2007 and more than 1,600 of those deaths were in Ciudad Juarez, near El Paso, Texas.

 

"This escalating violence isn't just a problem for Mexico," Bingaman said. "It's also a serious concern for the many New Mexicans, Texans, Arizonans and Californians who live in communities along our shared border.

 

"We must recognize that guns smuggled into Mexico from the United States are fueling this violence and take immediate action to keep these weapons out of the hands of violent drug gangs," he said.

 

"Narcotics trafficking organizations aren't confined by borders," Hutchinson added. "The increasing violence in Mexico is now a U.S. national security issue.

 

"The powerful Mexican drug cartels are a threat to the safety and security of U.S. communities and the U.S. law enforcement officials who seek to protect us," she said.

 

The bill would authorize $30 million over the next two years to expand the U.S. Department of Justice's "Project Gunrunner Initiative," a successful program targeting gun trafficking networks.

 

The funding would enable ATF to hire, train and deploy additional special agents in U.S. border states as part of the initiative.

 

It will also authorize $19 million over the next two years to enhance cooperation between the U.S. and Mexico, allowing the ATF to assign additional agents in U.S. consulates in Mexico to support efforts by the Mexican government to trace seized weapons and to train Mexican law enforcement officials in anti-trafficking investigative techniques.

 

"We must commit to providing the necessary resources to end the destructive violence of the Mexican drug cartels on both sides of the border," said Hutchinson. "This legislation takes an important step toward protecting our citizens from the terrorism that drug cartels seek to spread."

 

"Drug violence in Mexico is taking a terrible human toll," said Bingaman. "But it's also having an impact on the economies of border communities in terms of reduced trade, bilateral business ventures and tourism.

 

"The sooner we enact our common sense legislation to reduce the violence, the better," he said.