Legal Commentary

?Mexico?s Gun Supply and the 90 Percent Myth?

By Eugene Volokh

An interesting item on Stratfor. The bottom line: ?It has now become quite common to hear U.S. officials confidently assert that 90 percent of the weapons used by the Mexican drug cartels come from the United States. However, a close examination of the dynamics of the cartel wars in Mexico ? and of how the oft-echoed 90 percent number was reached ? clearly demonstrates that the number is more political rhetoric than empirical fact.? I think there?s been some discussion of this on the Conspiracy in the past, but I thought the Stratfor piece was detailed and helpful enough to be worth passing along.

UPDATE: As commenter BFA points out, the BATF officially endorsed the 90 percent figure, writing in a report to Congress that ?Over 90 percent of the crime guns used in Mexico originates from sources in the U.S.?

Full post as published by The Volokh Conspiracy on February 11, 2011 (boomark / email).