High-powered weapons prized by Mexican cartels

[majormadmax]

Although related to the CNN article, I thought this was worthy of its own thread...

Definitely worthy of the

High-Powered Weapons Prized by Mexican Cartels

Survey shows ‘bigger is better' with guns smuggled from U.S.

By Dan Freedman
Hearst Newspapers
Monday, May 30, 2011

WASHINGTON — Convicted gun smuggler John Phillip Hernandez wasn't the kind of customer Bushmaster Firearms International had in mind when he bought 14 of its .223-caliber AR-15s at Houston-area gun shops in 2006 and 2007.

Bushmaster describes itself as a “leading supplier” of AR-15 rifles, a civilian clone of the U.S. military's standard-issue M16, “for law enforcement, security and private-consumer use.”

But the weapons Hernandez and his associates bought wound up in the hands of gunmen from Mexican drug cartels, including a Bushmaster .223 that was among the weapons used to kill four police officers and three secretaries in Acapulco, an attack dubbed “the Acapulco police massacre.”

A Hearst Newspapers survey of 1,585 guns bought mostly in Texas and Arizona that were either shipped to Mexico or intercepted en route shows that the .223 AR-15 ranks second among firearms used and coveted for drug warfare.

The survey is drawn from guns identified by manufacturer or importer in U.S. court documents from 44 cases involving 165 defendants across the country, showing the purveyors of guns to Mexican drug traffickers followed a time-honored saying of product salesmanship: Bigger is definitely better.

The Bushmaster .223 comes with a 30-round magazine, enabling the shooter to fire all 30 rounds, one for each pull of the trigger, in less than a minute.

“The gun traffickers supplying Mexican drug organizations have become more selective and sophisticated in the weapons they acquire,” said Kristen Rand, legislative director of the Washington-based Violence Policy Center, which has studied the issue extensively. “Their goal is the bulk purchase of maximum firepower.”

Fearful that U.S. weapons purchases on behalf of Mexican drug cartels might fuel a new round of calls for gun control, gun-right advocates argue that current laws are sufficient to control such trafficking.

“The brand names are inconsequential. What matters is that our laws aren't being enforced,” said Andrew Arulanandam, director of public affairs for the National Rifle Association. “We have adequate laws on the books. If someone is breaking the law, go after them. If not, they should be left alone. That's the NRA position.”

Bound for Mexico

The No. 1 gun on the Hearst survey, a brand of AK-47 imported from Romania, has an ammunition capacity similar to that of the Bushmaster. Among Mexican traffickers, it has earned the nickname cuerno de chivo, or “goat horn,” because of its distinctive banana-shaped magazine.

Since a federal law banning assault weapons expired in 2004, so-called “straw purchasers” have flooded U.S. gun stores in the Southwest, mostly in Texas and Arizona, sweeping up these and other weapons. Court documents show such purchasers buying as many as 20 AK-47s at a time, paying as much as $11,000 in cash.

The weapons are sold legally but the buyers must sign a U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives document saying they're buying the guns for themselves. “Straw” purchases for others are violations of federal firearms law.

Typically, the purchaser turns the guns over to a broker who takes them across the border to Mexico, where such weapons can't be bought legally. Once in Mexico, the weapons are sold to the cartels, often for three or four times the original price.

Violence in Mexico has claimed almost 40,000 lives since Mexican President Felipe Calderón took office in December 2006 and declared a crackdown on the powerful drug-trafficking organizations. Mexican authorities have recovered more than 60,000 weapons.

Top ATF officials have said in congressional testimony that 90 percent of the guns submitted for tracing by Mexican authorities are from the United States.

Gun-rights advocates doubt the accuracy of that claim, arguing Mexico submits a fraction of the weapons it recovers for tracing.

 

[San Antone RR]

Not much of a slant on that article...

 

[Mexican_Hippie]

Sounds like Mexico needs to get it's crap together. Why is this our problem again?

 

[Texas1911]

Sounds like Mexico needs to get it's crap together. Why is this our problem again?

What is our problem is when a 18 yr. old girl comes in to buy an "AK47" for "hunting" and doesn't have a clue what she is buying, what she is hunting, or where she is hunting and yet the gun store sells the gun anyways knowing completely well that she is straw purchasing the gun. This happens more than you are aware of and is allowed under the premise of avoiding a discrimination lawsuit.

When a guy comes in to buy 20 WASRs ... it looks a bit suspect, the same with 10+ AR15s ...

The problem is ... the ATF will tell you, like they told Carter Country in Houston (about these ARs in the article) to go ahead with the sale and to give them as much info as possible. Then they will sometimes intercept the sale (sale will be put on a delay status) and either bug the guns or tail the buyer and eventually catch them in the process. While the ATF has to do this in order to build their case, it leaves the gun shops looking like unethical money greedy whores that will sell a gun to anyone for any purpose. What the article doesn't say is the number of people over the years that have been turned in by gun stores to the ATF.

 

[Acesn8's]

What is our problem is when a 18 yr. old girl comes in to buy an "AK47" for "hunting" and doesn't have a clue what she is buying, what she is hunting, or where she is hunting and yet the gun store sells the gun anyways knowing completely well that she is straw purchasing the gun. This happens more than you are aware of and is allowed under the premise of avoiding a discrimination lawsuit.

When a guy comes in to buy 20 WASRs ... it looks a bit suspect, the same with 10+ AR15s ...

The problem is ... the ATF will tell you, like they told Carter Country in Houston (about these ARs in the article) to go ahead with the sale and to give them as much info as possible. Then they will sometimes intercept the sale (sale will be put on a delay status) and either bug the guns or tail the buyer and eventually catch them in the process. While the ATF has to do this in order to build their case, it leaves the gun shops looking like unethical money greedy whores that will sell a gun to anyone for any purpose. What the article doesn't say is the number of people over the years that have been turned in by gun stores to the ATF.

I have witnessed such a purchase and have wondered why anyone would sell a
firearm to an individual of questionable character knowing it is a straw purchase.

 

[TrailDust]

I have witnessed such a purchase and have wondered why anyone would sell a
firearm to an individual of questionable character knowing it is a straw purchase.

A common phrase says it all, "Money talks, and bullshit walks." Sad, but way too many people out there would sell their own mothers for the right price.

 

[IXLR8]

Its called balance of trade. They smuggle in drugs to kill our people in "victim-less" crimes. They smuggle guns back across the border to kill whomever they want..
You will never be able to eliminate the production or possession of either one. They should just tax the transactions and be done with it.

The Cartels have enough money to get whatever they want. If they want guns, they will get them and there nothing that you, or I, or either government can do about it. You cannot image the money they have available.

 

[Jakashh]

What is our problem is when a 18 yr. old girl comes in to buy an "AK47" for "hunting" and doesn't have a clue what she is buying, what she is hunting, or where she is hunting and yet the gun store sells the gun anyways knowing completely well that she is straw purchasing the gun. This happens more than you are aware of and is allowed under the premise of avoiding a discrimination lawsuit.

When a guy comes in to buy 20 WASRs ... it looks a bit suspect, the same with 10+ AR15s ...

The problem is ... the ATF will tell you, like they told Carter Country in Houston (about these ARs in the article) to go ahead with the sale and to give them as much info as possible. Then they will sometimes intercept the sale (sale will be put on a delay status) and either bug the guns or tail the buyer and eventually catch them in the process. While the ATF has to do this in order to build their case, it leaves the gun shops looking like unethical money greedy whores that will sell a gun to anyone for any purpose. What the article doesn't say is the number of people over the years that have been turned in by gun stores to the ATF.

Weird... I bought my WASR from a gun store, they sold it to me, but half a year later when I came back to pick up my AR lower i had FFL'd to them, they delayed it and said I need to bring my dad to pick up an assembled lower and said the ATF or background check whatever thing didn't allow them to pick it up w/out my dad (fully assembled lower), so I came back the next day. Wonder if my AR is bugged and if i'm on a smuggler list somewhere

 

[WadeP]

Wonder if my AR is bugged and if i'm on a smuggler list somewhere

If you're on this forum, you're probably on a list somewhere.

 

[Texas1911]

Weird... I bought my WASR from a gun store, they sold it to me, but half a year later when I came back to pick up my AR lower i had FFL'd to them, they delayed it and said I need to bring my dad to pick up an assembled lower and said the ATF or background check whatever thing didn't allow them to pick it up w/out my dad (fully assembled lower), so I came back the next day. Wonder if my AR is bugged and if i'm on a smuggler list somewhere

Stripped or assembled lowers are an "other" and require you to be 21 years of age. Alot of misconceptions about how lowers are sold in gun stores, especially before the ATF sent out a notice regarding them.

 

[2ManyGuns]

@ WadeP oh, great now I'm gonna be really PARANOID!

 

[country_boy]

Weird... I bought my WASR from a gun store, they sold it to me, but half a year later when I came back to pick up my AR lower i had FFL'd to them, they delayed it and said I need to bring my dad to pick up an assembled lower and said the ATF or background check whatever thing didn't allow them to pick it up w/out my dad (fully assembled lower), so I came back the next day. Wonder if my AR is bugged and if i'm on a smuggler list somewhere

You have to be 21 in order to buy a stripped lower. That could have been the red flag. Dunno. I know a 19 year old at a gun shop wanted to buy one and the ffl behind the counter said he couldnt have to be 21 to buy it.

 

[Texastransplant]

To me it's always irritating calling a AR-15 5.56 as a high powered rifle. Barely adequate for deer and honestly the only reason the military uses it is you are able to carry more ammo. They are finding out in Afganistan that at the very least a 7.62 is needed and now going 300 mag and 338 for snipers or ever 50's. Your grandpa's thurdy-thurdy packs more punch the then Ar. Sorry the AR is a modern sporting rifle, firing one shot with each pull of the trigger. Not the terrible assualt weapon as some in the media world would have you believe. A nice target, home defense and varmit rifle for sure. But not high powered in my book, they make it sound like it will take a pillbox apart or stop charging bulls, trains and whaever.

 

[TheDan]

...bug the guns...

Interesting... You ever see that? Did they have a warrant?

 

[The_Hunter]

But not high powered in my book, they make it sound like it will take a pillbox apart or stop charging bulls, trains and whaever.

[M4C] you must not have a top tier gun [/M4C]

 

[Texas1911]

Interesting... You ever see that? Did they have a warrant?

The ATF used the tracking to build the case, so I'm sure they obtained a warrant otherwise it's rather easily dismissed.

 

[Texas1911]

[M4C] you must not have a top tier gun [/M4C]

Yeah, Shit-tier ARs barely wound squirrels, but if you run a god-tier name brand it'll split elephants into filet mignon at 2000 yards.

 

[Texastransplant]

Former ffl and was in the Army shooting the M14 then going to the M16. Had a .222 .44 mag and .303 before going in the army. I just never considred the .223 in he highpowered range. I have had a number of AR's over the years and I am a fan of them but I really get tired of the push to make the the ultimate high powered rifle. It only hurts our cause by spreading the assualt weapon verbage. Sure I use it for smaller game but for larger I go to my 7 mag. 223/5.56 is a great shooting flat shooting round but I certainly won't go after large game with it. For that I need a high powered centerfire rifle. For smaller game I like my modern sporting rifle in 5.56

 

[M. Sage]

I agree, I don't like calling ARs "assault rifles" (partly because it's technically incorrect). I do like calling rifles like the AR "sport utility rifles".

 

[Jakashh]

Upon seeing my power point on taking apart an m16 bolt, my BCIS professor, who entered as an officer in the marines, said "it was called the AR, meaning Automatic Rifle". I didn't correct him.

And if the AR is as weak as y'all make it seem, I wish i kept my com-bloc POS.