(AP Photo/Attorney General's Office)
Before I get into today's column, I'd like to make a few more observations about yesterday's.
Hopefully, it's clear to all that the three interdiction stops referred to in the ATF "Operation Southbound Steel" intelligence advisory information request were conducted by local law enforcement (specifically by the Pearl River and Jackson County Sheriff's departments, and the Gulfport PD). So it's not like the intrepid feds with their expanded Project Gunrunner budget are doing anything other than acting as a news aggregator here.
As one of my sources observed to me:
This is not the result of an ongoing federal investigation, it's BATF piggybacking on local cops...what is not being seized in Miss., they aren't seizing RPGs, grenades and Class III Military ARs and AKs. The point is that the military guns aren't coming from here. They come from Venezuela, Colombia, Cuba, Israel, Brazil and China...
That the cartels are getting military grade weapons from non-U.S. sources is borne out by journalists doing their own investigation instead of relying on government agencies for their talking points:
Most of these weapons are being smuggled from Central American countries or by sea, eluding U.S. and Mexican monitors who are focused on the smuggling of semiauto- matic and conventional weapons purchased from dealers in the U.S. border states of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California.
Which brings us to one "reporter" who does parrot talking points, Matthew Price of BBC News, who "authoritatively" tells his readers:
It is estimated that at least 90% of the guns used by the Mexican drug trafficking organisations have come from the US.
Price may as well be working for the Brady Campaign, which tells those it hopes to manipulate:
More than 90% of the guns used by the drug cartels originate from U.S. gun sellers
And CNN spreads the meme via Brady Campaign president Paul Helmke and Brady board member and former Maryland Lieutenant Governor/US deputy attorney general Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, who tell us in no uncertain terms:
American gun sellers supply the cartels with 95 to 100 percent of their guns, according to the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Am I calling Price, BBC and the majority of establishment media following suit agenda-driven propagandists (or lazy incompetents) and the Bradys opportunistic liars trying to swindle us out of our rights? You tell me. Because here's what happens when we take these statements everyone assumes to be authoritative and true, and add one critical element: an oath or affirmation, with penalties for perjury.
I'd like to share with you a bit of testimony, from the Statement of David Ogden, Deputy Attorney General, United States Department of Justice, before the United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing entitled “Southern Border Violence: Homeland Security Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Responsibilities”, presented March 25, 2009. Just a small bit, really, but a critical one, almost lost in the 20 pages of his statement:
According to ATF’s Tracing Center, 90 percent of the firearms about which ATF receives information are traceable to the United States.
Read it again, and compare it to what the antis are saying. It's very different, isn't it?
But it does raise the interesting question about why a guy with nothing more than a handful of friendly sources and access to the Internet (that would be me) "receives information" that is, according to sworn testimony before the Senate, apparently unknown to and uninvestigated by the agency tasked with enforcing the nation's gun laws. Or by the press...
The only explanations are ATF and their masters at DoJ are either hopelessly oblivious to what is really happening, that is, criminally negligent, or they are engaged in an outright conspiratorial fraud to deprive us of our rights.
Those are serious charges. I submit the sworn testimony of Deputy AG Ogden makes this a matter for official inquiry. Under glaring lights.
Why not go on the offensive instead of waiting for manipulators and deceivers to introduce further gun bans based on misrepresentations and lies? Why not demand of our representatives that they initiate hearings into what ATF actually knows about Mexican cartel guns and their suppliers? And take an extra close look at how they're deploying their manpower and resources?
You can start by contacting your representative and senators. Copy and paste the link to this article in your email. Then here's all you need to tell them, again a copy/paste:
Read this column. I expect you to open an official inquiry into why DoJ and ATF are misdirecting the American people on how Mexican drug cartels are supplying themselves with military grade weapons.
Who knows what this will result in? Perhaps nothing, or perhaps it will be the first few loose pebbles that precede the avalanche. Why not do it right now? And pass this along to your friends...?
What have you got to lose, a minute or two?
------------
Related: See Denver Gun Rights Examiner Dan Bidstrup's latest article, "Who is buying the guns in Mexico?"
Check out other Gun Rights Examiners:
- Atlanta: Self defense is harmful to the environment
- Austin: Gun control and addiction (Part 2)
- Charlotte: Prize fight for the Second Amendment: Levy vs. Henigan
- Cleveland: Scare tactics: the mainstream media's war on guns
- DC: Federal court's injunction against National Park gun ban repeal fails giggle test
- Denver: Who is buying the guns in Mexico?
- Los Angeles: Saturday Special: Revealing the Second Amendment, Part II.
- Milwaukee: New anti-gun ”feel good” bills now in committee in WI Capital. CORRECTION
- Minneapolis: Should blogging require government registration?
- Seattle: SeaTac ‘open carry’ gathering sends signal to criminals
- St. Louis: Laws requiring gun owners to report 'lost or stolen' guns blame the victims of crime
- Wisconsin: If you open carry - Wisconsin laws you must know
Comments
I'm sure some of the military guns are coming from the US. They're just stopping at Mexican military bases first before being 'lost'.
Good point David, on the 90 percent scam. With the Mexican government being proven to be filled with liars and criminals from the very top to the bottom. I can see them giving ATF the numbers on some handguns and some made up numbers so it equals 90 percent. The last thing any fighter on any side wants is to be armed with a handgun against full auto rifles.
The bottom line here is this: The Mexican government refuses to provide the serial numbers of full auto rifles that they take from drug gangs. Which is a red flag that the Mexican government is on the take by the liberals who want to destroy the Second Amendment. If the Mexican government will take drug money and work with the drug gangs. You can make a very safe bet that they will play the numbers to make the liberals happy if they are paid to do it. These Mexican government officials are taking money from gangs that are killing children in fire fights and these government officials sleep well at night. I believe they would sleep just as well lying about what guns they come up with as well.
Being said, we can not take the word of proven criminal Mexican government officials because they have sold out every step of the way and have zero honor.
[quote]
Being said, we can not take the word of proven criminal Mexican _or AMERICAN_ government officials because they have sold out every step of the way and have zero honor.
[/quote]
There, Joe, fixed that for you...
Used my U.S. Representative's and Senators' web forms. Rep. Shimkus might do some good, but Senators. Burris and Durbin are deeply committed to the wrong side on this one. Still--they're hearing from me.
Just to add to my annoyance, on the web contact form Burris provides, when choosing a subject, the subject of guns is grouped in with drugs and crime, like this: "Drugs/Crime/Guns."
He's a fantastic protector of the palladium of liberty.
"They're just stopping at Mexican military bases first before being 'lost'."
Probably courtesy of the hundreds of thousands of deserters that are joining the cartels.
Raw numbers. I want to see raw numbers. Exactly how many guns does ATF "receive information" on? 10,000? 500? 27? We don't know, and that makes a big differnce. How many total guns were seized versus how many had their "information" forwarded to BATFE? Cherry picking is not confined to orchards.
My bullshit meter pegs when someone starts quoting percentages with no explanation.
"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics."
"Figures don't lie, but liers do figure."
Last we heard the Mexican Government refused to give ATF any serial numbers on firearms they confiscated....How can the ATF National tracing center do a trace without the serial number?
They can't...
"According to ATF’s Tracing Center, 90 percent of the firearms about which ATF receives information are traceable to the United States."
What are the numbers of firearms traced from Mexico 10 guns...20....what a crock!
Same old song, different verse. Repeat the lie enough to make it fact in the minds of sheeple.
BOHICA! [bend over here it comes again]
Ok...I'm fairly ignorant about this topic. I'd appreciate some enlightenment, if possible.
Drug runners/cartels have big time guns. That's a given. The question is how they're getting them, and from what source, since there's a desire to cut off their supply. The two options are:
a) being smuggled north to south from the USA
b) south to north from South American sources.
If b), then the next question I have is "are the weapons of USA manufacture or other?"
If USA manufacture, are they legally shipped to the originating SA country, or illegally?
If Legal, then how are they getting into illegal hands? Who's not preventing it? Should we shut off that trade?
If not of USA manufacture, then whose? any possibility of Venezuelan activity in order to bring down Mexican government in order to establish another communist government (right next to the US border)
"Which is a red flag that the Mexican government is on the take by the liberals who want to destroy the Second Amendment."
My God you people are ignorant. You are the clingers Obama was talking about during the campaign. Thank God you are on a digg publicity campaign so that I can see you now. You really believe the Mexican government is in a conspiracy with the far left to have guns banned? Seriously? Please consult a psychologist immediately.
On a side note- my doctor gave me a diagnosis that he said is accurate 90% of the time given the symptoms I prescribed to him, please tell me how much smarter you are than him for completely throwing out his recommendations.
bunch of clingers here says:
On a side note- my doctor gave me a diagnosis that he said is accurate 90% of the time given the symptoms I prescribed to him, please tell me how much smarter you are than him for completely throwing out his recommendations.
In your case the Doctor was probably correct diagnosing you as delusional. Did he "Describe" you any meds for that?
@New Visitor, thanks for the honest inquiry. I'll do my best to explain what/how is going on.
"a) being smuggled north to south from the USA
b) south to north from South American sources.
If b), then the next question I have is "are the weapons of USA manufacture or other?"
-It is likely that most US manufacture weapons are being obtained through the Mexican government through bribing or other illegal means. It is unlikely that a Mexican cartel would go through the effort and cost to obtain a US civillian sold AR15 (which isn't an Assault Rifle due to not having auto-matic or select-fire functions) when they can get the real thing for half the cost and 1/3 the risk. The reason the Mexican government refuses to divulge serial numbers from captured US manufacture weapons is likely due to the fact that they were sold directly to the Mexican government by the US Govt. It is unlikely that other SA countries are involved given that there are plenty of US manufacture assault rifles in Mexico as it is, so there is little need to pay a higher price to import them.
"If not of USA manufacture, then whose? any possibility of Venezuelan activity in order to bring down Mexican government in order to establish another communist government (right next to the US border)"
The non-US manufacture assault rifles are largely AK-47s with various other weapons sprinkled around, like RPGs grenades and anti-vehicle mines. These can be had on the international black market to the highest bidder typically in less civilized countries to whoever has the cash to float a boatload of them over. Thats how most African militias are armed and pretty much every other semi-organized para-military group around the world does it the same way. America is the last place in the world to easily or cheaply obtain weapons, aside from total ban countries like England. Everything is more expensive here, ammo, guns and parts. It makes no business sense to come here looking for weapons on sale in mass quantities.
What's ignorant, BoC, is you obviously have no clue as to the difference between 90% of the guns and 90% of the guns ATF says they have information on--you seem to not even comprehend there is a difference--yet you presume to render judgment and call names.
Which is fine. Seeing as how you've revealed yourself to be no friend, you going through life blind actually works in our favor.
You present yourself as being smarter while you reveal yourself unqualified to be in this company. Pathetic fool.
It is just another smokescreen. I cannot believe what is moving south is more important than what is moving north. Napolitano is a joke and a danger to America.
Excellent work, Mr. Codrea.
We know for a fact that those who wished to diminish the second amendment used lies, misinformation, and confusion among the public to barely squeak in the 1994 ban on wholly legitimate semiauto guns. We correctly presume that they will use the same tactic in any future attempt to do so.
And we are seeing them do it, and the tip of their spear is the issue in Mexico, involving criminal gangs and black-market military hardware.
But what they might not know, but will probably learn very quickly, is that this ain't 1994. We are on to them, smarter, far more informed and networked, and filled with far more resolve.
Our mantra might be this:
"Never again shall we allow the trade of essential freedoms for the empty promise of a little temporary safety."
Particularly when those empty promises are predicated on dishonesty and misinformation.
We will be spreading this issue far and wide.
We the People!
bunch of clingers here said:
"You really believe the Mexican government is in a conspiracy with the far left to have guns banned? Seriously?"
Straw-man, we'd likely take you more seriously if you could provide evidence to refute the possibility that the Mexican government is not, in fact and/or theory, working with people in our government in a way that would facilitate the passage of federal gun control here.
David
Why wait for the government to do the right thing? We have pretty strong evidence of a conspiracy to violate civil rights under color of law. Now, the US DoJ *should* be prosecuting already under title 18 USC 241 & 242. I figure the odds of that are slim and none.
HOWEVER, there's parallel remedies for CIVIL suit under title 42 USC 1983 & 1985. These are the same statutes that Thurgood Marshall and NAACP used so successfully. DC vs Heller gives us an ironclad opinion that RKBA is, as we have always said, a protected right. So the Brady bunch and all the other hoplophobes running around with their cute little trendy conspiracy are now quite vulnerable to litigation. Find the right plaintiffs and you don't even have to wait for the incorporation cases to conclude.
There is no contradiction between the statements you quote. The sources you quote say specifically that full-auto weapons, grenades, and other military gear are smuggled into Mexico by sea or from the south. The other sources say that 90% of weapons in Mexico - or weapons "about which the ATF receives information" - come from the US. All those statements are easily compatible. (Obviously the top end of the "95-100%" estimate can't be true, but all the others can be.) Taken together, they just suggest that less than 10% of weapons used in crimes in Mexico are full-auto or military - which is perfectly possible and not contradicted by your evidence. (In other words, 90% of the guns are American, but those are mostly not full-auto; some of the remaining 10% of the guns are full-auto, but those are not American. Get it?)
As for the quote about "most of these weapons", that quote explicitly refers to full-auto and military weapons, not all weapons. It's very likely most of the military-grade weapons used in Mexico come from outside the US, but, again, that in no way contradicts the claim that 90% or more of all guns used in crimes there come from north of the border.
You've blown the lid off precisely nothing.
Whatever you like to believe, Kevin.
Not my place to teach you how to read.
Mr. Keith, I have to inform you're wrong. If you can find the testimony by William Hoover, Assistant Director of the ATF, to the Senate Judiciary Committee last month, you'll find that he states that 90% of the guns which the Mexican government asks the ATF to trace, <i>and which the ATF is able to trace</i>, come from US sources. In 2007, the ATF was able to trace 23.6% of the guns the Mexican government asked it to trace (not all of which came from the US), leaving 76.4% which the ATF was not able to trace, most likely because they hadn't passed through the US. And that also leaves guns the Mexican government didn't ask the ATF to trace, and the Mexicans aren't saying how many those are.
It's just so hilarious how these untrained armies of peasants right in our back door are allowed to do what they want, while our mislead army appears to care more about similar (and probably less dangerous) activities of even more impoverished inhabitants of countries in far away third world countries oceans away. It is a damned JOKE!
It is all a big JOKE. We let peasant neighbors do what they want while we pick on their equals oceans away. A BIG FAT JOKE!
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!