The U.S. is the major "arms supplier" both legal and illegal for weapons used in an estimated 95% of Mexico's drug-related killings. Mexico has much stricter gun control laws than the United States. Mexico has long tried to get the United States to curtail the number of guns — many purchased legally — that wind up south of the border.

It's time for Congress to "grow some balls" over gun control by following Mexico's lead and re-institute the expired 1994 ban on assault rifles and certain other semi-automatic weapons that are often used in drug-related killings. It will also help save many lives on our police force. From: <link>

" WASHINGTON – Members of Congress may be alarmed by the surge in Mexican drug violence and its potential to spill across the border, but they[Congress] grow silent when the talk turns to gun control as a solution.

With related kidnappings and killings occurring in the U.S., the Obama administration is likely to shift dozens of enforcement agents and millions of dollars to the fight against Mexican drug cartels.

Yet when Attorney General Eric Holder suggested reinstituting a U.S. ban on the sale of certain semi-automatic weapons, many lawmakers balked. The 1994 ban expired after 10 years.

"The Second Amendment Task Force opposes the discussed ban and will fight any attempts that infringe on our Second Amendment rights," said Rep. Paul Broun, R-Ga., a chairman of the group. Six Democrats and six Republicans co-signed his statement.

Mexico has long tried to get the United States to curtail the number of guns — many purchased legally — that wind up south of the border, where gun laws are much stricter. The State Department says firearms obtained in the U.S. account for an estimated 95 percent of Mexico's drug-related killings.

"If President (Felipe) Calderon's policies to roll back organized crime are to be successful, we need to defang the power of the drug syndicates to inflict damage upon our state, local and police forces," Arturo Sarukhan, the Mexican ambassador to the United States, said in January. "The best way we can do that is for a real ratcheting up of the United States' capabilities of shutting down the flow of weapons. .... "

the only lobby group stronger than the national rifle association is the israel lobby. they are out of control they represent a large group of hunters and gun collectors and have propagandized them into thinking that any common sense legislation of any form against any type of firearm is evil and anticonstitutional. i have read the constitution and firmly belive that there should be an amendment to clarify the loosey goosey written words of the so called great jefferson. i don't think jefferson, despite corrections by franklin, was a very good writter and did not put forth what was the position of the day. indeed the world has changed since then too. we need a good airing of the opinion of we the people on what is the so called right to bear arms.

And also for the safety of our Police force and for their families, would you really want to be a policeman "kicking down the doors on drug busts" when there is no telling what type of weaponry, both legal and illegally supplied by the U.S. , might be behind that door?

I think that the safety of our Policemen and their families should "trump" any so-called rights for dangerous weaponry by the NRA or the Israeli gun rights advocates.

i agree with you. in fact i don't think there is a fundamental right for individual human beings to bear arms in an advanced civilized society. this whole issue needs to be debated in the public forum in front of we the people.

mrs obama has the right to bare arms.i think we need to empose dress regulations on all women.revealing attire causes to many assualts in this country.im proposing a bill to limit womens rights to a burka style outfit made of kevlar for there own protection.and to limit the danger they bring on men who cant control themselves.two wheeled bycicles have also led to many deaths and injurys so i propose seat belts and training wheels .kitchen knives we have far to many accidents and knives are used in crimes daily baseball bats transporting of baseball bats rocks rocks are known to dangerouse.......your letting the gun represent (icon)all traits aggressive

I have also wondered how much "under the table" money is funneled to the NRA by those gun manufacturers that profit most from the sale of dangerous weaponry.

There are huge amounts of gun company profit at stake if the U.S. congress were to clamp down on dangerous weapons. I am sure that the well-funded paid-for gun lobbyists will fight to preserve their gun company dangerous gun profits tooth and nail under the pretense/guise of this being a Second Amendment issue rather than calling it a corporate profit/greed issue.

i would rather have open carry laws .non concealed. we have regulated decency out of america .more disputes settled in the street at high noon might stop lawyers and accountants from legal stealing

Yes, I have noticed that "Mrs Obama's" right for "bare arms" does tend towards making whatever clothes she is wearing look good however I don't see it an overall threat to the safety of our police force. the same applies to kitchen knives, etc.. etc... etc...

If Mexico has "much stricter" gun control laws, then the 6000 murders last year proves that gun control doesn't work. Guns don't kill, people do. Why should we impose laws on our citizens for Mexico's problems. Mexico needs to work on border control and drug use laws, and quite blaming their problems on us. I, for one, am tired of our relationship with Mexico, the US does not benefit.

Close the borders...Now!!

well we outlawed guns in iraq they are still shooting.keeps cops honest if they knew we had no guns we get rodney kinged daily. and miss obamas arms are a ten

I think the Dems are so stupid to harp on this.

Its not the guns per se...its the feeling that you can fight back if some criminal attacks you...people do not like feeling dependent, and this is the most dependent.

Dems need to get this straigtht...no one minds limitations or regulations, but fundamentally, we wish to be able to defend ourselves. That is what the Cons tap into, and you don't get it.

WOW! Candox - Your response is making my jaw drop, did not expect that from you. Libs have to realize too that gun control is the Repubs abortion. Libs don't want ANY restrictions on abortion, Repubs don't want any on guns. Maybe if Dems were a little more flexible and reasonable with abortion, Repubs might open up on gun control. It's not a conscious decision, but tit-for-tat might be in the background. For me the issue is really the people giving away(guns) any chance of a revolt against the government. I know, laugh, but that is why (especially Jefferson) the 2nd amendment exists. It is the unspeakable truth behind the 2nd, one especially the politicians don't want to bring up. Security in your own home is important also, just knowing you havealternatives. Guess what happened when the economy went south...people bought guns in droves, afraid of other humans driven to outlaw survival. As soon as Mexico can stop the Illegal Aliens and drugs crossing OUR borders, maybe we can look at guns. What I'm saying is Mexico exports a lot of bad mojo to America, and is a little hypocritical in that area. Strict gun control does not work, open gun laws and conceal and carry laws do.

You are conflating 2 very different things. They are only similar in that those who wish to criminalize abortion want the state to own a woman's uterus. That's funny, I thought conservatives want to get government out. Actually, I didn't think that, they are selective hypocrites in that they only want govt intrustion into their pet peeves. It is a matter of privacy. So is gun ownership, except that the 2nd ammendment speaks about a little thing called "regulation," as in a "well regulated malitia." Reasonable regulation might include trigger locks or other common sense laws. By no stretch of the imagination does it secure individual gun ownership, but that is now moot since the right wing Supremes recently said it did.

Aren't guns and weapons generally some of the few things we still manufacture in this country?

run wild until the entire country is sick to death of them! Let everyone who wants'em has automatric rifles, hell, let'em has cannon's and bazoka's....grenade launchers!! Let the blood of police flow (like in Oakland) to innocent's (like the pregnant woman shot to death by an 11 year old) let'em have it all!