The Myth about Mexico, American, and Fire-Arms

Somehow, the truth just does not come out.

You’ve heard this shocking “fact” before — on TV and radio, in newspapers, on the Internet and from the highest politicians in the land: 90 percent of the weapons used to commit crimes in Mexico come from the United States.

— Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said it to reporters on a flight to Mexico City.

— CBS newsman Bob Schieffer referred to it while interviewing President Obama.

— California Sen. Dianne Feinstein said at a Senate hearing: “It is unacceptable to have 90 percent of the guns that are picked up in Mexico and used to shoot judges, police officers and mayors … come from the United States.”

— William Hoover, assistant director for field operations at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, testified in the House of Representatives that “there is more than enough evidence to indicate that over 90 percent of the firearms that have either been recovered in, or interdicted in transport to Mexico, originated from various sources within the United States.”

There’s just one problem with the 90 percent “statistic” and it’s a big one:

It’s just not true.

In fact, it’s not even close. The fact is, only 17 percent of guns found at Mexican crime scenes have been traced to the U.S.

South of the Border – Obama Headed to Mexico

Obama is heading off to Mexico to talk to the Mexican government about violence, the drug trade, and a possible trade war between the two countries. Hmm…I bet he probably could’ve avoided the last problem if he avoided caving into the unions and/or not killing the pilot program that allowed Mexican drivers onto US roads.

Mexico Imposes Taxes on US Exports, Business Hurt

The Obama Administration is certainly making its fair share of friends today. I’m glad to see they’re doing a better job than Bush when it came to keeping costs low regarding US exports among trading allies…

A long-simmering trade dispute boiled over into sanctions on Monday after Mexico said it would raise tariffs on $2.4bn of US exports in retaliation for ending a pilot programme to allow Mexican trucks on American roads.

The announcement marks one of the first big tests for trade policy under President Barack Obama, who has sought to tread a fine line between assuaging his domestic constituencies and upholding the US’s international obligations.

Mexico said it would increase tariffs on 90 industrial and agricultural goods, likely to include politically sensitive farm products, after Congress last week killed a pilot programme allowing a limited number of Mexican trucks on American highways. Mexico obtained a judicial ruling in 2001 under the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta) allowing it to impose such sanctions, but has held off since the US introduced the pilot scheme.

UPDATE: HotAir has suggested that the reason for the move is because those truckers are not unions. Only God knows how much unions manage to screw everything economically…Another reason to be against the EFCA a/k/a the union measure to kill the secret ballot.