Target: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell
Goal: Prevent the sale of American semi-automatic weapons to drug cartels.
Many Americans are unaware that most of the weapons used by Mexican drug cartels are obtained legally in the United States. Unfortunately, this makes America’s gun problem not just a domestic issue but also an international one.
Of the 90% percent of cartel weapons traced back to the US, many include semi-automatic rifles purchased legally in Texas and Arizona, where state gun laws do not ban the sale of these deadly firearms. Rifles such as AR-15s are then used by the cartels as they traffic drugs, people, and other weapons across the border. As cartels become more heavily armed, the United States Border Patrol and the Mexican government must respond with increased force, raising the stakes of violence for everyone.
The United States government spends an estimated 40 billion dollars annually fighting the war on drugs. Yet, few US actions prevent the causal mechanisms for the cartels’ rise to power. By passing the House’s Assault Weapons Ban of 2022 in the Senate, we would experience a decrease in domestic and border violence and a comparative de-escalation of violence between cartels fighting in Mexico.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Senator McConnell,
The humanitarian crisis at our border has become exacerbated by the flood of legally purchased American weapons arming Mexican drug cartels. This frivolous militarization of non-state actors only increases the stakes of violence in the cartel wars and results in more Americans losing their lives at the border.
I urge you to fulfill your commitment to the American people by securing our border. Pass the Assault Weapons Ban of 2022 in the Senate.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Vitaly V. Kuzmin
Mitch doesn’t give a damn. He is supported by the NRA and obviously the cartels too. Mitch will stoop so low but he will fight to protect those who pay him to do so. This is a good reason to cancel Citizens United and stop the Dark Money pipeline into politics and the politicians we elected to serve we the people. There ought to be a law against this type of under the table dealings. But now we allow our politicians to transfer, buy, and sell stock on our dime. Politics won’t work until we shut this type of crime down … for good!