Latin American Program in the News: American Arms Reach Deep Into Mexico’s Bloodshed
Eric L. Olson comments on the connection between easy access to weapons in the US and the use of these weapons for violence in Mexico.
“Easy and ready access to weapons in the U.S. has been exploited by organized crime in Mexico and used in some of the most gruesome violence you can imagine,” said Eric Olson, Associate Director of the Latin American Program at the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C. “We’re not taking a position on the Second Amendment -- that’s just what we’ve observed from the data.”
Olson asserts from an analytical standpoint that stricter gun laws in the U.S. could have a sizable impact in reducing the cartels’ access to weapons, particularly if there were legal measures to crack down on gun traffickers, which are currently lacking due to resistance in Congress among those who feel such measures would threaten the Second Amendment.
“There is no national gun registry, which makes it very difficult for the ATF to share information and coordinate with local law enforcement,” Olson said. “This is all being interpreted (by gun rights advocates) as an attempt to take away their guns. Meanwhile, more guns are being trafficked into Mexico.”
Olson said that without the resources to track down traffickers, law enforcement has no incentive to go after them, and the penalties for the original buyers, also referred to as “straw purchasers,” are minimal, with offenders only receiving small fines due to the difficulties of proving intent to purchase for distribution to criminal organizations.
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About the Author
![Eric L. Olson](/sites/default/files/styles/square/public/media/images/person/olson.jpg)
Eric L. Olson
Director of Policy and Strategic Initiatives, Seattle International Foundation
Latin America Program
The Wilson Center’s prestigious Latin America Program provides non-partisan expertise to a broad community of decision makers in the United States and Latin America on critical policy issues facing the Hemisphere. The Program provides insightful and actionable research for policymakers, private sector leaders, journalists, and public intellectuals in the United States and Latin America. To bridge the gap between scholarship and policy action, it fosters new inquiry, sponsors high-level public and private meetings among multiple stakeholders, and explores policy options to improve outcomes for citizens throughout the Americas. Drawing on the Wilson Center’s strength as the nation’s key non-partisan policy forum, the Program serves as a trusted source of analysis and a vital point of contact between the worlds of scholarship and action. Read more
Mexico Institute
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