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Gun Reports - News
Mexican President Felipe Calderon
Firearms Industry Responds to Mexican President's Calls for the U.S. to Reinstitute its Ban on Modern Sporting Rifles
May 26, 2010Printer Friendly | Email |
(GunReports.com) -- Following calls by Mexican President Felipe Calderon that the United States re-institute a ban on modern sporting rifles, or so-called "assault weapons," the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) - the trade association for America's firearms industry - issued the following statement:
"While we respect the work of President Calderon to willingly take on his country's powerful drug cartels, we are disappointed that he, in the name of security, would urge our Congress to reinstitute a failed ban on so-called 'assault weapons.'
"Let's be clear, semi-automatic rifles, demonized as so-called 'assault weapons,' are not machine guns but modern sporting rifles that are used every day by law-abiding Americans for the shooting sports, hunting and home protection. Since 2004, when the Clinton/Gore 'assault weapons' ban expired, modern sporting rifles have fast become one of the most popular types of firearms for law-abiding Americans to purchase.
"Firearms that Congress would label 'assault weapons' are functionally no different than any other semi-automatic civilian sporting firearm. They shoot only one shot per trigger pull, no spray firing as some allege, and use the same ammunition as other guns of the same caliber. What differentiates modern sporting rifles from other guns is cosmetic; for example, the type of stock on the firearm.
"According to the Department of Justice, so-called 'assault weapons' are rarely used in crimes (less than 2 percent). Furthermore, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has established that banning firearms and ammunition have no effect on crime levels.
"Some 29,000 firearms were recovered in Mexico in 2008, of which approximately 5,000 were traced to U.S. sources. That means more than 80 percent of the firearms recovered in Mexico were not traced to the United States. Furthermore, according to the ATF, those firearms traced were originally sold at retail not recently, but on average 14 years earlier. This is completely inconsistent with any notion that a flood of newly purchased firearms are being illegally smuggled over the border into Mexico. And let's not forget, no retail firearms sale can be made in the U.S. until after a criminal background check on the purchaser has been completed.
"In recent years as many as 150,000 Mexican soldiers, 17,000 last year alone, defected to go work for the drug cartels -- bringing their American-made service-issued firearms with them. It has also been well documented that the drug cartels are illegally smuggling fully automatic firearms, grenades and other weapons into Mexico from South and Central America. Such items are not being purchased at retail firearms stores in the United States.
"Even more, investigations and regulatory compliance inspections by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) into firearms trafficking along the Southwest border have confirmed that firearms retailers are law-abiding businessmen and women who are playing a key role in detecting and deterring illegal purchases of firearms. As part of a Project Gun Runner Impact Team firearms trafficking operation, more than 1100 firearms retailers were inspected by ATF. Of these inspections only one retailer license was revoked. One.
"Members of the firearms industry take seriously the criminal acquisition and misuse of their products. This is why our industry supports the Southwest Border Violence Reduction Act of 2009, sponsored by Sen. Bingaman (D-NM) and Rep. Ciro Rodriguez (D-TX), and will continue to work cooperatively with law enforcement. For nearly a decade our industry has partnered with the ATF in a national campaign called Don't Lie for the Other Guy that makes the public aware that it is a serious crime to illegally straw purchase a firearm. The program also helps ATF to educate firearms retailers to be better able to detect and prevent illegal straw purchases. It is our hope that Don't Lie will once again receive grant funding from the Department of Justice - a move that would allow NSSF and ATF to further expand this worthwhile program. For the last year, Don't Lie has been financed entirely by members of the firearms industry.
"Again, we applaud President Calderon for taking steps to stop the cartels when past Mexican administrations paid only lip service and allowed rampant corruption to fester. Still, it is wrong for anyone to blame the Second Amendment and America's firearms industry for the problems Mexico is currently facing.
"Sacrificing the constitutional rights of law-abiding Americans will not make Mexico safer - especially when the sacrifice is rooted in unfounded allegations and hyperbole. President Calderon would be doing both his country and ours a favor if instead of pushing for already failed crime-control measures, he used his time in the United States to call for proven methods to combat criminal acts, such as putting more cops on the street and more prosecutors in the court rooms."
Reader Comments
Let the Mexican Government run their country, and Americans will run ours! Perhaps the "sporting rifles" should be used on the illegals permeating our precious borders.Semper Fi
Listen to Caulderon's speech... he insinuates that if America doesn't regulate it's citizen's "assault rifles," then those weapons might be used to challenge the U.S. government's authority.
Well.. duh, Felipe! It's called the 2nd Amendment and that's it's true purpose!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BioYQbMJjo&feature=player_embedded
The U.S civilian market does not provide the Mexican narco-state with firearms. All the full auto weapons are coming in from nations like China, Venezuela, Brazil etc. The only U.S full auto weapons are coming from the U.S to "fight the drug war". Mexico is so corrupt, the weapons have been redirected to the cartels. Americans! JUST SAY NO!
I can't say whether Felipe is in pocket of the cartels or not, though judging the levels of corruption in virtually every other part of that government, it would not surprise. Felipe does need to keep his ideas off our Constitution though. Should he ever really try to send openly armed thugs to guard drug shipments into our country, it will go badly for them indeed.
If Sr. Calderon truly wants to address the problem of narco-violence in Mexico, he needs to take the initiative to change MEXICO'S POLICIES in the direction of allowing the people to arm themselves. More disarmed people---anywhere except in criminals' and dictators' compounds---will only make the entire world's problems worse.
I just want the same rules for Mexicans in the US that Mexico has for us in Mexico. Fair is fair. Of course that would put an end to the illegal alien invasion, but still, I want parity.
Gaviota
Modern sporting rifles have fast become one of the most popular types of firearms for law-abiding Americans to purchase. Gee...I wonder why??
Kindest Regards... In God We Trust...
There's a lot more if anyone is interested... This Mexican/USA garbage has been going on for a long time folks...
"You old white people. It is your duty to die." http://www.ccir.net/
HISPANIC LEADERS SPEAK OUT
Augustin Cebada, Brown Berets; "Go back to Boston ! Go back to Plymouth Rock, Pilgrims! Get out! We are the future. You are old and tired. Go on. We have beaten you. Leave like beaten rats. You old white people. It is your duty to die . Through love of having children, we are going to take over.
Richard Alatorre, Los Angeles City Council. "They're afraid we're going to take over the governmental institutions and other institutions. They're right. We will take them over . . . We are here to stay."
Excelsior, the national newspaper of Mexico , "The American Southwest seems to be slowly returning to the jurisdiction of Mexico without firing a single shot." Professor Jose Angel Gutierrez, University of Texas ; "We have an aging white America . They are not making babies. They are dying. The explosion is in our population . . . I love it. They are shitting in their pants with fear. I love it."
Kindest Regards...
In God We Trust...
Gaviota, illegal alien is not politically correct. I belive the correct term is undocumented Democrats.
Typo: believe. Sorry.
It would have been a perfect moment for our American President (if we actually had one) to let the Mexican President that if Mexico was not such a corrupt craphole his people would not need to sneak in here. How many American citizens do you see sneaking into Mexico or immigrating to other countries for that matter. Gee, it must not be as bad here as these bonehead's say. Could you imagine what Ronald Reagan would have told him? I'll bet it would have been priceless!
who the hell does this dick head think he is, telling the United States of America how to run our country. if he were running his country(mexico) the way it should be run and he had stopped the flood of illegal aliens into this country, then maybe we might listen to his pathetic rhetoric. put simply, get your own house in order dick head, then maybe you could stand on your own 2 feet.
It is fruitless to defend our position on the rights of gun ownership in the USA to world leaders. Most of foreign countries severly restict our outright ban the ownership of firearms to their citizens. We will always be in the minority in civilian ownership of guns worldwide. The only solution to keep our guns is to pressure our elected senators and representatives here to defend our second amendment rights. This needs to be done more on the state and local level where we can make a difference in voting them out of office. By having the support of these representatives, we could then care less what Mexico or whoever is against us. It would not matter or make any difference since politicians pay millions for our votes and must follow our needs not Mexico or any other country.
"undocumented Democrats"
BWAAAAAHAHAHAHAHA! I love it! I'm gonna nick that line from you, Robert J.
Gaviota
Do not travel to Mexico for vacations or hunting. Eff em. No money from this old white tired gringo.
How come no one is stateing the fact that we dont regulate what people bring into other countries !! It's not the responsibility of the US to police Mexico's border...They surely dont worry who or what is comming into the united states !!!
If you follow the Cross Rail Ranch fiasco you will know that the Mexican nationals will get everything they can from Americans, including their firearms if they can.When illegals are allowed to sue a property owner and tax payer in the U.S while trespassing and vandalizing private property IN THE U.S.,then we need to revamp the entire judicial system. The ONLY thing that keeps the illegals at bay IS THE FIREARM the rancher is allowed to possess.It sure as hell isn't our government ,rather a semi automatic rifle! ha Semper Fi
Calderon has had far to many burritos he's plum full of beans. What an idiot. We bailed his butt out(thnx.2 the chief rapist) give him automatic weapons then his army sells them to the drug cartels and we are the bad guys.I have an idea lets give him a couple tons of cyanide and see what the dumb a@s does with that.
For years American presidents have gone around the world telling other countries what to do. The responses have been almost the same every where: "Thank you for your comments. Give us your money. Now go away and leave us be." The Mexican president has now come to our country and told us what we Americans should do. OK, fair's fair. But he should have been given the same response that we have heard for all those years. When the Mexicans have their own house in order maybe, but probably not, we might have cause to listen. Meantime, butt out.
I wonder - out of those 5000 guns traced back to the US, how many were traced back thru the Mexican Army defectors? I mean - 17,000 defectors taking their guns with them? It may well be possible that EVERY US gun confiscated had been issued to the Mex-ilitary. Without that detail, I refuse to believe that more than a very few were actually from private citizens.
I wonder - out of those 5000 guns traced back to the US, how many were traced back thru the Mexican Army defectors? I mean - 17,000 defectors taking their guns with them? It may well be possible that EVERY US gun confiscated had been issued to the Mex-ilitary. Without that detail, I refuse to believe that more than a very few were actually from private citizens.
Of course they all belonged to the ex Mex military but the progressives would have you believe otherwise......
Mexico isn't a friend of the United States of America and should not be trusted. Ever! Seal the holes in our borders and control them. Semper Fi!
Another tidbit you all might be interested in... Felipe Calderon addressing the blithering idiot democrats in congress: CALDERON: I strongly disagree with your recently adopted law in Arizona. DEMOCRATS: Standing ovation CALDERON: It is a law... DEMOCRATS: (ovation continuing) CALDERON: It is a law that not only ignores a reality that cannot be erased by decree, but also introduced a terrible idea: Using racial profiling as a basis for law enforcement. And that's why I agree... I agree with president to say the new law carries a great amount of risk when core values that we don't care about are breached.
Kindest Regards... In God We Trust...
Continued...
Now, fast forward to CNN where Wolf Blitzer is interviewing Calderon (and actually asks him serious questions!) Blitzer:What's wrong with the folks in Arizona wanting to protect their border? CALDERON: In Arizona, there is some racial profiling criteria in order to enforce the law that it's against any sense of human rights; and, of course, is provoking very disappointing, uh, things or very disappointing opinion in Mexico and around the world, even here in America. So to introduce this kind of elements, especially racial profiling aspect that are attempting against what we consider human rights, it's the principle of discrimination which is against the values of this great nation. Blitzer: So if people want to come from Guatemala or Honduras or El Salvador or Nicaragua, they want to just come into Mexico, can they just walk in? CALDERON: No! They need to fulfill, uh, a form. They need to establish their right name. We analyze if they have not a criminal precedence. BLITZER: Do Mexican police go around asking for papers of people they suspect are illegal immigrants? CALDERON: Of course! Of course! BLITZER: If somebody sneaks in from Nicaragua or some other country in Central America through the southern border of Mexico and they wind up in Mexico, they can get a job?
Continued... CALDERON: No, no, no. BLITZER: They can't work? CALDERON: If somebody do that without permissions, we send...we send back them. Word for word. And no this is not a joke. Our laws are racist and deserve to be ignored and idiot democrats stand up and cheer. Their laws are ok to enforce, when they are draconian compared to the US. That idiot comes to our country and bad mouths our country and our laws, professes the desire to make us change our laws and wants his people to continue to break our laws, and our scumbag, pathetic coward president applauds. The idiot democrats in the country give the idiot a standing ovation. I will not sugar coat this in any way, if you support this man and this current party, you are either an enemy of the United States, or you are a stupid idiot. Kindest Regards...
In God WE Trust...
Well said Geometric1.
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