Dallas Morning News Takes (Mostly) Nuanced Approach to Gun Trace Data

[DougC]

Read more at Bearing Arms blog.

When I saw that the Dallas Morning News had a multi-part series on gun tracing focused largely on guns recovered in Mexico, I couldn't help myself from cringing. The DMN editorial board has been a vocal supporter of gun control in the past, and I assumed that this series would slant heavily in favor of the claims of anti-gun activists that Mexico's violence can only be curbed by restricting our own right to keep and bear arms.

While the paper's reporting does feature anti-gun advocates like Global Action Against Violence's Jonathan Lowy, who's helping the Mexican government sue U.S. gunmakers over cartel violence, I was surprised to see the reporters actually took a fairly nuanced look at what gun traces can and can't tell us about crime.

 

[popper]

DMN has been trash for 50 yrs.

 

[kbaxter60]

Did they mention the Eric Holder guns?
Tl;dr

 

[DougC]

Here is the Wall Street Journal article on what guns the cartels favor. Spoiler alert: the most popular ones aren't readily available on civilian market. So where are they getting them?

If you have a subscription with WSJ, you can check out the full article on their website. If not, we’ve summarized it below.

 

[DoubleDuty]

Mexican government, foreign arms dealers.

 

[Lead Belly]

Here are the top firearms coveted by Mexican cartels, as outlined by the WSJ:

The M134 Minigun: A six-barrel machine gun capable of firing 4,000 bullets per minute. Often used to protect high-profile drug leaders, it can destroy a small vehicle in moments and is reserved for extreme operations where overwhelming firepower is needed. It’s not a gun available to the U.S. civilian market.
..
M249 SAW (Squad Automatic Weapon): A lightweight machine gun capable of firing 850 rounds per minute. This prized weapon is used by top cartel leaders’ security details, symbolizing status and power among criminal ranks.
...
Rocket Launchers: The M72 LAW antitank rocket launcher is used to target the Mexican military and destroy armored cartel vehicles. These powerful weapons are smuggled into Mexico for heavy combat situations.

 

[General Zod]

Here is the Wall Street Journal article on what guns the cartels favor. Spoiler alert: the most popular ones aren't readily available on civilian market. So where are they getting them?

If you have a subscription with WSJ, you can check out the full article on their website. If not, we’ve summarized it below.

Mexican government, foreign arms dealers.

...the ATF under Eric Holder...

 

[TAZ]

Mexican government, foreign arms dealers.

Don’t forget the ATF. Along side good ole uncle Sugar in the form of aid to whatever corrupt person receives it.


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[DoubleDuty]

Don’t forget the ATF. Along side good ole uncle Sugar in the form of aid to whatever corrupt person receives it.


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Yeah no telling how much of our militaries arms accidentally disappear.