Many Mexicans find it difficult to square recent mass shootings with official statistics showing that homicides are on the decline.
Many Mexicans find it difficult to square recent mass shootings with official statistics showing that homicides are on the decline.
When your neighbor country has a gun problem and drug addiction problem, it is far too easy for drug cartels to smuggle guns from the US to Mexico.
Guns are not the problem by themselves. Who buys them is. That’s why we talk about “gun control” advocates and not “gun interdiction” advocates.
Take Switzerland. There are more guns by inhabitants than in the US (including automatic weapons), but close to no gun violence. That’s because gun owners face very strict regulations, a tough background and mental screening before being able to buy ammunition, or even a handgun. You get trained on how to properly secure your weapon, and if you get inspected and are found to not respect those rules you lose your right to handle weapons.
In some US states, even someone legally crazy, psychotic, et suicidal can freely buy an automatic weapon, provided he got enough money. No background or mental health check, no training, no inspection.
Cartels use those flaws to easily get weapons from the US, smuggle them into Mexico in exchange for drugs, and terrorise the Mexican population.
A gun is a tool of death, how it is used depends on who uses it. And as long as you freely sell them to those who shouldn’t have access to them, you’ll get gun violence on both sides of the “wall”.