In an editorial for Investors Business Daily, “More Guns, Less Crime” author John R. Lott, Jr. responds to Mexican President Felipe Calerdon’s ridiculous and insulting comments regarding Arizona’s new illegal alien law. Some of Lott’s arguments bear consideration. {Ed: All Americans have the right to bear consideration.] For example, Lott points out that the “real” military weapons (as opposed to military “style” assault rifles) the drug lords are using are already banned in America. As always, the academician (Lott) pummels misleading pro-gun control statements with facts. Facts. And more facts.
Mexican drug gangs are getting real military weapons from within Mexico and countries south of Mexico as well as other countries around the world. Reports indicate that grenades and rocket launchers, which are not even available for sale in America, come from countries such as South Korea, Israel and Spain.
Exactly 2,239 grenades were seized by the Mexican government from 2007 to 2009. Similarly, machine guns in Mexico originate from China, Israel and South Africa.
Among Calderon’s other assertions, he said: “And if you look carefully you will notice that the violence in Mexico started to grow a couple of years before I took office in 2006. This coincides, at least, with the lifting of the assault weapons ban in 2004.”
He also warned that America faces the same danger.
There is only one problem: American and Mexican murder rates fell between the ban and the latest official data in 2008.
Lott must have been chafing under the word limitations imposed by the publication, and their inability to accomodate footnotes, graphs and tables. It’s also clear from this piece that Mr. Lott lacks a finely tuned sense of irony. I guess when you’re right, it’s hard to see how others could possibly think you’re completely wrong.
As disturbing as Calderon making up facts and blaming American guns for Mexico’s problems is, something else is even more worrisome.
The vast majority of Democratic House and Senate members stood up and gave him a 20-second standing ovation when Calderon called for renewing the Assault Weapons Ban. It was a warning all Americans should heed.
