[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 11 (Thursday, February 2, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S506-S507]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             ILLEGAL EXPORT OF DANGEROUS FIREARMS TO MEXICO

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, several recent published reports indicate 
that lax gun safety laws here in the United States may be resulting in 
the trafficking of thousands of firearms across the border into Mexico 
and contributing to a surge in violence and crime in that country.
  Many firearms are illegal in Mexico. In fact, there are apparently 
less than 2,500 licensed gun owners in the entire country. This is 
because such licenses take a year or more to process, cost nearly 
$2,000, and must be renewed every 2 years. In addition, Mexican 
authorities say they confiscate more than 250 illegal firearms every 
day from crime suspects. U.S. and Mexican law enforcement officials 
estimate that as much as 95 percent of these guns can be traced back to 
the United States.
  Mexican law enforcement officials have made several major illegal 
weapons seizures in the last few months alone. In December, 20 assault 
rifles were seized in Tijuana, just across the border from California. 
In another seizure, police recovered a cache of weapons that included 
seven assault rifles and several semiautomatic handguns in the Mexican 
border town of Nuevo Laredo. It also should be noted that in the last 
year alone more than 100 people were shot to death by suspected drug 
cartel members in Nuevo Laredo. According to Mexican and U.S. 
officials, these drug smuggling operations are frequently the end users 
of guns illegally trafficked from the United States.
  Reportedly, weak U.S. gun regulations are being exploited to help arm 
criminals in Mexico. One way of doing this is through the use of a 
``straw purchaser'' who buys firearms legally in the United States on 
behalf of a Mexican gun trafficker. In one reported case last year, a 
handgun recovered in Reynosa, Mexico, was traced back to a Texas man 
who had reportedly bought more than 150 guns for criminals in Mexico. 
In another case, more than 80 guns were traced to a Mexican national 
who apparently paid Texas residents to purchase them for him. According 
to Mexican authorities, guns recovered in Mexico are often traced to 
original buyers in Texas, where ``straw purchasers'' can buy guns and 
ammunition in unlimited quantities.
  Law enforcement authorities in Mexico say assault rifles are the most 
sought-after weapons by Mexican criminals. Unfortunately, these 
dangerous weapons are in plentiful supply here in the United States due 
to Congress's failure to reauthorize or strengthen the 1994 Assault 
Weapons Ban. On September 13, 2004, this legislation expired, allowing 
19 previously banned assault weapons, as well as firearms that can 
accept detachable magazines and have more than one of several specific 
military features, such as a folding/telescoping stock, protruding 
pistol grip, bayonet mount, threaded muzzle or flash suppressor, barrel 
shroud or grenade launcher to be legally sold again. These dangerous 
weapons are being bought in the United States and trafficked into 
Mexico, where they are frequently used in violent crime, conflicts 
between rival drug cartels, and shootouts with Mexican law enforcement 
authorities.
  Apparently, law enforcement officials are also concerned about the 
prevalence of .50-caliber firearms, which are turning up more 
frequently in Mexico in recent years. These high-powered weapons fire 
thumb-sized bullets that come in armor-piercing, incendiary, and 
explosive varieties and can easily punch through aircraft fuselages, 
fuel tanks, and engines. Under current U.S. law, .50-caliber sniper 
rifles can be purchased by private individuals with only minimal 
federal regulation. In fact, these dangerous weapons are treated the 
same as other long rifles including shotguns, hunting rifles, and 
smaller target rifles.
  I am a cosponsor of the Fifty-Caliber Sniper Weapon Regulation Act 
introduced by Senator Feinstein. This bill

[[Page S507]]

would reclassify .50-caliber rifles under the National Firearms Act, 
NFA, treating them the same as other high-powered or especially lethal 
firearms like machineguns and sawed off shotguns. Among other things, 
reclassification of .50-caliber sniper rifles under the NFA would 
subject them to new requirements, including registration with federal 
authorities. These additional requirements would help law enforcement 
officials identify ``straw purchasers'' and other sources of illegally 
trafficked .50-caliber rifles recovered in Mexico more easily.
  The United States has a responsibility to do what it can to help 
prevent the illegal export of dangerous firearms outside of our 
borders. By enacting commonsense legislation, like the Fifty-Caliber 
Sniper Weapon Regulation Act and the Assault Weapons Ban, we can 
improve the security of communities in the United States, as well as 
those in neighboring countries.

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