Less Than 24 Percent of Guns Seized by Mexican Authorities in 2008 Were Traced Back to U.S.

Less than 24 percent of the guns seized last year by Mexican authorities, mostly from drug trafficking organizations, were traced back to the United States, according to data released in a report by the Government Accountability Office. Of the 30,000 guns seized by Mexican authorities in 2008, only 7,200, or approximately 24 percent, were submitted to the U.S. for tracing. Of those 7,200 firearms, 6,700 (or about 22 percent) were actually determined to have originated in the United States. The country of origin for the remaining 22,800 guns seized by Mexico that were not traced cannot be known. In addition, CNSNews.com reported on April 2 that, according to an ATF spokesperson, the bureau does not actually count, acquire, inspect and warehouse the weapons confiscated in Mexico, but relies on the Mexican government to submit information on the guns such as the serial number, make, and model for e-tracing. Jess Ford, the GAO’s director of international affairs and trade, told CNSNews.com that the calculations in the report about he flow of guns from the U.S. to Mexico are based on the guns submitted for tracing during the observation period...CNSNews