“Mexico’s previous administration prodded the U.S. to take stronger action on gun control for years, and Mexico’s new ambassador has continued that pressure,” Christopher Wilson.
• This article also appeared on Chrisroubis.com.
Some 60,000 Mexicans have reportedly been killed in gun violence over the past half-dozen years. According to statistics offered by the U.S. government itself, around 70 percent of the guns seized in Mexico over the past year have been of U.S. origin.
“Mexico’s previous administration prodded the U.S. to take stronger action on gun control for years, and Mexico’s new ambassador has continued that pressure,” Christopher Wilson, an associate at the Woodrow Wilson Centre’s Mexico Institute, a Washington-based think tank, told IPS.
“With so many victims of organised crime in Mexico killed by assault rifles bought in the United States, Mexico would, I think, welcome any efforts to increase controls on those weapons – whether through a ban or increased screening of buyers.”
Yet in his remarks on Wednesday and in the details of his slew of executive orders, President Obama did not appear to emphasise the impact of U.S. guns on populations outside the country.
The Mexico Institute seeks to improve understanding, communication, and cooperation between Mexico and the United States by promoting original research, encouraging public discussion, and proposing policy options for enhancing the bilateral relationship. A binational Advisory Board, chaired by Luis Téllez and Earl Anthony Wayne, oversees the work of the Mexico Institute. Read more
