I'm seeing many stories about poor Mexico being inundated with "assault weapons" from the U.S.A. With rare exceptions, they point out the ease of legally buying a weapon in the U.S., and the steady flow of guns across the Rio Grande into the hands of drug cartels, the implication being that people are going to Joe's Sporting Goods, buying "assault weapons" at retail prices and selling them to Mexican criminals. Let's examine the premise.
One thing you may have noticed is drug cartels are in the business of making money. Lots of money. And those who end up with the money generally have little compunction about spending it, as there is much more where that came from. Another thing you may have noticed is the connections the drug cartels have with other criminals around the world, and their connections with terrorists of different stripes. (Terrorists often supply the drugs the cartels move.) Perhaps you've also noticed it is difficult to stop smugglers, even when you're making an effort. If the drugs are being smuggled successfully, certainly other materials can be moved as well.
Conclusion: Drug cartels have -
- Lots of money,
- International connections with other criminals and terrorists,
- Established and successful international pipelines to smuggle goods.
I understand from knocking around on the Internet, that an automatic AK-xx rifle can be had from international arms dealers, paragons of virtue one and all, I'm sure, for $100 - $200/each, in essentially unlimited quantity. And if you don't want to go through a regular international arms dealer, there are many amateurs out there who will oblige, too. And these are actual fully-automatic battle rifles, not semi-automatic "assault weapons".
I was at a gun show this weekend, and there was no lack of military-style semi-automatic rifles. The least expensive "assault weapon" I saw was running around $400, and the price goes up quickly as the quality of the guns improves, with basic AR type rifles running around $1000. Let's assume then an average of about $500 for "assault weapons".
Now, I can't say that there are no arms going from the U.S. into Mexico. I know for a fact that in recent years, several shipments of the fully automatic battle rifles have been intercepted coming into the United States. So here's the question.
Why are Mexican drug cartels buying inferior type weapons by the trunk load at costs far above retail from U.S. sources, when they can get the real deal from international sources with less trouble than they get the drugs they sell? Drug cartels may have lots of money, but they aren't stupid.
If you bought a rifle at Joe's Sporting goods for $500, what price would you ask if you had to smuggle it into Mexico? Did you know that even ammunition is banned in Mexico? Americans have gone to jail in Mexico for forgetting to remove a box of cartridges from their vehicle before they crossed the border. Smuggling arms south is frowned on from this side of the Rio Grande, too. If it were me, I'd be trying to at least double my money, considering the risk of a Mexican prison. With that reasoning, 1000 American, semi-automatic "assault weapons" would cost the Mexicans in excess of $1 million. It isn't much better at wholesale prices.
Now contrast that to the cost of buying the same quantity of real assault rifles on the international market.
1,000x$250=$250,000 Let's see. $1 million vs. $250,000.
Hmmm.
Would you buy American? I wouldn't, and they wouldn't either. If semi-automatic arms are being sold to Mexicans out of the U.S., few of these guns are coming from Joe's Sporting Goods. They are stolen weapons. Stolen by criminals and sold to criminals. So, by all means, let's put additional restrictions on the law-abiding adults who aren't involved in this matter. Let's leave law-abiding adults helpless in the face of increasing armed criminal attacks. Oh, I know! Let's just declare the United States a gun-free zone!
Like Mexico.
Du-oh.
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