Reply #6: Ummm...the U.S.-made military hardware in the hands of the Zetas

[benEzra]

is coming from GOVERNMENT supply channels, not the U.S. civilian market. The number of automatic weapons manufactured in the entire United States for the civilian gun market since 1986 is zero. None. Zip.

The Mexican military and paramilitary police forces, on the other hand, DO buy those military/government restricted arms in large quantities from U.S. manufacturers and/or the U.S. government, and some of them end up in the hands of the cartels.

Don't believe me? Look closely at the photos of what the cartels are using:



Look closely; those are NFA Title 2 restricted uppers on those carbines, not Title 1 civilian-length AR-15 uppers; those are most likely full auto police/military only M4's. Ditto for the M203 grenade launchers, 40mm M203 rounds, and hand grenades, ALL of which are an automatic 10-year Federal felonies to possess in the United States outside of police/military duty, unless you first obtain a BATFE Form 4 or are a government supplier. I see two or three guns that may be civilian in the mix, but almost everything in that photo comes from the military/police market, not the U.S. civilian market.



And in this pic, that's an M4 type carbine with, again, VERY short military/police upper (possibly a 10.5")---in context, a very good clue that it's likely a Title 2 military/police assault rifle, not a civilian non-automatic Title 1 "assault weapon". I also see what appears to be a rocket launcher, a belt-fed machinegun, and more hand grenades, all of which will net you a 10-year felony per violation in this country unless you obtain a Form 4 or are part of the government/military/police supply chain.

I notice that the article mentions the U.S. Gun Control Act of 1986, but completely omits the more sweeping National Firearms Act of 1934, the law that restricts the types of weapons that the Zetas prefer.

The Zetas are not buying their military hardware at U.S. civilian gun stores any more than they are buying their cocaine and heroin legally at U.S. pharmacies.