Obama Refuses To Help Mexico Stop Guns

The United States is quick to blame Mexico for not stopping the illegal smuggling of drugs across the border. There are consistent and repeated calls for Mexico to do more to stop the smugglers, especially from the American right-wing. But this should be a two-way street. While the drugs may be moving north from Mexico, the guns the drug cartels use to protect those drugs and kill the Mexican police and army that tries to stop them, move south from the United States in to Mexico.

It would be good for both countries to staunch the flow of guns into Mexico, especially the military-type weapons like the AK-47 and other high-powered weapons. But the right-wing organizations, like the National Rifle Association (NRA), throw a fit anytime it is suggested that the U.S. government take action against gun sellers that feed the pipeline into Mexico.

Now it looks like President Obama is acting to help the gun runners, or at least knuckling under to the NRA-type organizations. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) requested the president give it the emergency authority to require the gun dealers in the four states that border Mexico to report anyone who buys more than one rifle to the same customer within a 5-day period (there is already a similar rule in effect for handguns).

This seems to be an imminently sensible request. It would not deny any American the ability to purchase a rifle, but it would allow the ATF to check out anyone purchasing large quantities of rifles (which would likely be shipped into Mexico). In addition, it would only be in effect in the four Border states (Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California). And it would probably go a long way toward stopping some of the gun smuggling.

But President Obama turned down the request from the ATF. Instead, the proposal will undergo a three-month review period, where it will be open to public comment. And you can bet there will be plenty of comment from gun groups like the NRA -- all of it opposed to the proposal. And it is likely that right-wing Republicans will do their best to kill the proposal, and probably be successful at it.

This is very disappointing and I have to believe that the president is giving in to political pressure -- afraid to be accused of imposing gun regulations. This action is needed, but now it very likely will never get done.

If we really want Mexico to cooperate with us, maybe we should start helping them solve their problem. Good neighbors help each other. A one-way relationship creates nothing but ill will and accomplishes little.