U.S.: Gun raids show cartels at work in Arizona

[El Supremo]

Source: msnbc

Weak laws let ‘straw buyers’ amass hundreds of assault rifles, federal officials say

Federal officials say they have new evidence that Mexico's most violent drug cartels are exploiting weak U.S. guns laws to acquire massive quantities of assault rifles and other firearms for use in their war against the Mexican government.

In an early morning round-up in Arizona, law enforcement agents Tuesday arrested 20 people who are accused of illegally buying hundreds of AK-47s and other firearms at U.S. gun stores. The defendants allegedly acted as "straw purchasers," falsely declaring on federal forms they were purchasing the weapons for themselves, rather than their real clients: the Sinoloa Cartel and other Mexican drug trafficking organizations across the border, the officials said.

"The massive size of this operation exemplifies the magnitude of the problem — Mexican drug lords go shopping for war weapons in Arizona," said Dennis K. Burke, the U.S. attorney for Arizona, who announced the raids at a press conference in Phoenix.

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41257218/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/

[ileus]

1. Looks like I'm gonna have to invest in an AK clone

I didn't want to buy one until the middle of the summer. :(

[LanternWaste]

2. Difficult to expect less...

Difficult for me to expect anything less than this from the largest exporter of arms on the planet. :shrug:

[friendly_iconoclast]

14. Ummm, where do you think the parts for those "AK-47"s came from?

Hint: It probably wasn't the States....

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. 5,4,3,2,1 until the head in sand crew shows up

[AlbertCat]

4. Well, as long as the people of AZ can also get one!

3rd World AZ! The new look for America!

[Roy Rolling]

5. Sarah . .

Palin has already posted on her Facebook page there is no link between straw-buyers of AK-47s and Mexican drug violence. :sarcasm:

[Hoyt]

6. Ain't this some crud -- "Mexico's most violent drug cartels are exploiting weak U.S. guns laws"

The Gungeon crowd will go crazy over ". . . . . . weak U.S. guns laws."

[slackmaster]

13. The word "weak" was clearly editorial, and has been removed from the article

Go to the link and read it again.

:-)

[Hoyt]

15. why quibble -- weak, ineffective, worthless, NRAized, flimsy, powerless, unsound, etc., all apply.

I guess it makes some difference in your mind.

[slackmaster]

16. Do you understand the difference between a news article and an editorial?

I'm not sure you do.

[Hoyt]

17. Are you saying the "editorial" does not represent the facts? Or are you just blowing smoke?

If people are getting these weapons under false names -- it's evident the laws and/or enforcement are weak, ineffective, NRAized, etc.

[Electric Monk]

7. Guns don't kill people, blah blah blah. Ok, someone had to say it sooner or later.

I wish this news surprised me in some way, but it totally doesn't.

[damntexdem]

8. Oh, THOSE cartels -- Mexican drug cartels!

I thought it meant the GOP government of the state. ;-)

[Katya Mullethov]

9. More Carter's Country Guns ?

They say there is a flood of iffy transfers coming outta there . Google it . A cop was allegedly shot with one .

[shadowrider]

10. If it guns from the states didn't make it down south, the cartels would stop all shooting

and throw rocks instead.

[ileus]

11. Interesting timing on this story...

[slackmaster]

12. MSNBC had de-editorialized this story since it was originally posted

The comment about "weak laws" has been scrubbed.

[lawodevolution]

18. Let this be a lesson to the US that when you make it difficult for good people

To own guns those who remain in possession of guns are the bad guys. This has not worked out very well for Mexico.

I'm not giving up any gun liberties to support failed and flawed gun laws in Mexico, they need to copy our gun laws