Over the last 5 to 6 years, over 60,000 people have lost their lives in Mexico’s drug-related wave of violence. More than 70% of the weapons seized in Mexico in the last three years and submitted for tracing came from the U.S. (Source: ATF)
President Obama has the power to help stop gun smugglers who are fueling violence in Mexico. We’re demanding him to:
1) Enforce the existing ban on the importation of military-style assault weapons (because many of them are later illegally smuggled into Mexico);
2) Require gun dealers to report to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) the sale of multiple assault rifles to the same person over a period of five days (GOOD NEWS: the Obama Administration has announced new reporting rules on multiple semiautomatic rifles in border states. A great first step — let’s keep the momentum going!);
3) Strengthen legal enforcement in regions of the U.S. that supply the bulk of the contraband weapons smuggled into Mexico.
Coalition partners: Cuéntame, WOLA (Washington Office on Latin America), Latin America Working Group, Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, Global Exchange, Propuesta Civica, Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity, Violence Policy Center, and Alianza Civica.
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