By John Lindsay-Poland
Nearly fifty faith, peace, gun violence prevention, and business organizations called on U.S. President Donald Trump on March 4 to keep his promise made last month to Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to “avoid the trafficking of high-powered weapons from the United States into Mexico.”
Trump recently designated cartels as foreign terrorists, leading Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum to suggest that Mexico may broaden its lawsuit against gun manufacturers and dealers to address the material support they provide to criminal cartels.
Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court heard the case against gun manufacturers, posing skeptical questions to attorneys representing both Mexico and the gun industry. Mexico also filed suit against five gun dealers in Arizona, a case that has advanced in the courts to the discovery (evidence) phase.
In their letter, the organizations called on President Trump to take decisive action to address the unchecked flow of U.S. firearms that fuel violence, empower cartels, and force people to flee their homes. “U.S.-sourced firearms and gun manufacturers are empowering cartels to devastate communities, fuel the narcotics trade, and intimidate local authorities, forcing migration from Mexico to the United States,” the letter states.
The groups urged Trump to “Issue an executive order to take assault rifles, .50 caliber rifles, and high-capacity magazines, used by the cartels in thousands of crimes, off the US retail market.” They also called on him to “instruct the Justice Department to order the inspection of every gun dealer that has been implicated in sales of firearms trafficked to Mexico.”
U.S. and Mexican agencies agree that an estimated 200,000 firearms are trafficked from the United States into Mexico every year. Yet data published by the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol shows a paltry number are confiscated on the U.S. side of the border – only 885 guns in the last year. The Mexican army, meanwhile, seized more than ten times as many guns (8,928) in the last 12 months for which data is available.
The open letter to President Trump was signed by national organizations such as March for Our Lives, Global Exchange, Latin America Working Group, and Team Enough, faith groups such as the Maryknoll Office of Global Concerns, Kino Border Initiative, and Quixote Center, groups in Mexico including Derechos de la Infancia y Adoloscencia (Rights of Infants and Adolescents) and the Emmaus Community, peace associations (International Peace Research Association), and businesses such as the Opal Group and People’s Eye Photography. The letter was endorsed by several gun violence prevention groups in Texas – the source of more guns trafficked to Mexico than any other state – including Texas Gun Sense, Lives Robbed, and Students Engaged in Advancing Texas. The letter was also signed by 100 individuals.
“It is long past time to see more accountability around how guns from the United States — including guns manufactured right here in Massachusetts by Smith and Wesson — have fueled violence and trauma in Mexico and other countries,” said Ruth Zakarin, CEO of the Massachusetts Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence, which signed the letter. “The Massachusetts Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence stands in solidarity with the organizations, activists, and survivors calling for that accountability.”
The world has been watching what Mexico will do in response to threats of tariffs. We should also be watching what the United States does to stop the iron river of weapons. That would benefit everyone.
John Lindsay-Poland coordinates Stop US Arms to Mexico, a project of Global Exchange.