U.S. firearms laws currently govern the possession and transfer of firearms and provide penalties for the violation of such laws. ¿Gun trafficking¿ includes the movement or diversion of firearms from legal to illegal markets. This report includes legal analyses of 3 ATF-investigated, Southwest border gun trafficking cases to illustrate the fed. statutes that are violated as part of wider gun trafficking schemes. The report concludes with possible policy questions for Congress regarding the magnitude of Southwest border gun trafficking, the use and significance of ATF crime gun trace data, the possible ratification of an Inter-American Gun Trafficking Convention, and the adequacy of the federal statutes designed to deter and reduce illegal gun trafficking.

This is a print on demand edition of a hard to find publication. The original Nat. Southwest Border Counter-Narcotics Strategy (2007) focused primarily on what the entities of the U.S. Fed. Gov¿t. could do to prevent the illegal trafficking of drugs across the border with Mexico. As the cartels battle the Mexican Gov¿t. and one another, we have seen significant disruptions in the availability of such drugs as cocaine and meth in U.S. markets. The new Strategy recognizes the role that the outbound flow of illegal cash and weapons plays in sustaining the cartels and addresses this threat. Contents: Intelligence and Info. Sharing; At the Ports of Entry; Between the Ports of Entry; Air and Marine; Investigations and Prosecutions; Money; Weapons; Technology; Cooperation with Mexico; Tunnel Strategy; Resources. Illus.

In recent years, violence along the U.S.-Mexico border has escalated dramatically, due largely to the Mexican gov¿t. efforts to disrupt Mexican drug trafficking org. U.S. and Mexican law enforcement officials generally agree that many of the firearms used to perpetrate crimes in Mexico are illicitly trafficked from the U.S. across the Southwest border. This report examines: (1) data on the types, sources, and users of these firearms; (2) key challenges confronting U.S. gov¿t. efforts to combat illicit sales of firearms in the U.S. and stem the flow of them into Mexico; (3) challenges faced by U.S. agencies collaborating with Mexican authorities to combat the problem of illicit arms; and (4) the U.S. gov¿t. strategy for addressing the issue. Charts and tables.

There has been a recent increase in the level of drug trafficking-related violence within and between the drug trafficking organizations in Mexico. This violence has generated concern among U.S. policy makers that the violence in Mexico might spill over into the U.S. Currently, U.S. federal officials deny that the recent increase in drug trafficking-related violence in Mexico has resulted in a spillover into the U.S., but they acknowledge that the prospect is a serious concern. Contents of this report: (1) Intro.; (2) The Southwest Border Region and the Illicit Drug Trade Between the U.S. and Mexico; (3) Relationship Between Illicit Drug Markets and Violence; (4) What is Spillover Violence?: (5) Challenges in Evaluating and Responding to Spillover Violence.

This book explores and explains how traditional and alternative media have framed the issues of gun trafficking into Mexico, drug-related violence, and spillover violence. It reveals how gun trafficking and drug-related violence are social problems for Mexico, while spillover violence is portrayed as a moral panic for the US. Readers will gain a better understanding of how the media portrays and frames the criminal activity that is occurring in Mexico and how it impacts the US. The book analyzes national newspapers from both sides of the US–Mexico border—The New York Times and El Universal—and draws on a theoretical framework of moral panics, social problems, and cultivation theory. It reveals six framing devices, "the blame game," "worthy and unworthy victims," "positive aspects," "negative aspects of gun trafficking," "indirect mention of gun trafficking," and "direct mention of gun trafficking," which are utilized by The New York Times and El Universal to discuss and frame the issue of gun trafficking into Mexico and its impact on Mexico’s border violence. Mexico’s Drug-Related Violence will be of great interest to students and scholars interested in the perception of media and crime, as well as those researching the topic of drug cartels and drug-related violence.