Rep. Hurd, I appreciate your concern about border safety, drugs, drug gangs and criminals. But I must point out, these would be mitigated if American-made arms were not being poured into Mexico, Guatemala and other unstable countries for the unethical profit of the gun industry.
The U.S. is the world’s largest arms exporter and the safety of these sales was deeply compromised by the Trump administration, which moved licensing oversight from the State Department to the Commerce Department. Gun manufacturers then basked in huge profits – making commerce happy – but at the expense of the suffering for millions, further destabilization and exacerbating border problems.
Congress must stop this devastating outpouring of weapons to countries and entities fueling violent crime in Mexico and Latin America. One example: Drug gang rule and murders (mainly with U.S. weapons) in Guatemala spiked; causing the number of desperate Guatemalans fleeing to the U.S. border to spike.
Auditors have warned that 95% of gun-export applications lack required information and were not properly vetted for U.S. security concerns. (See Michael R. Bloomberg’s “U.S. Export of Gun Violence Is a Bipartisan Outrage”). This failure is a major contributor of increased gang control and violence worldwide.
Representative, you want to support and protect our border officers and stop the flood of drugs and crime? Then stop the gangs in Mexico and Latin America from getting U.S. arms. Work with House members to demand this unethical, devastating gun market be brought under control.
Connie Durand
Durango
