Gun Trafficking

How U.S. Guns Drive Cartel Violence in Mexico

Gun Trafficking

How U.S. Guns Drive Cartel Violence in Mexico

American firearms power a brutal conflict that has claimed more than 100,000 lives.

Alain Stephens
New Trump Arms Rules Loosen Oversight of Foreign Gun Sales

Gun Policy

New Trump Arms Rules Loosen Oversight of Foreign Gun Sales

The Trump administration has implemented new export rules for American small arms, ammunition, and gun parts — a major victory for the American gun industry, which has lobbied for the change for more than a decade. The new rules,…

Champe Barton
American-Made .50-Caliber Rifles Help Fuel Mexican Cartel Violence

Gun Trafficking

American-Made .50-Caliber Rifles Help Fuel Mexican Cartel Violence

Mexican authorities were outgunned by criminal cartels in two notable incidents this month. In both cases, the criminals were armed with high-powered .50-caliber firearms. First, on October 13, in the state of Michoacan, a police convoy was ambushed with .50-caliber…

Alex Yablon
Potential Gun Trafficking Hubs Revealed in ATF Data

ATF

Potential Gun Trafficking Hubs Revealed in ATF Data

A new Trace analysis shows states with the highest share of crime guns purchased within 12 months.

Alex Yablon and Daniel Nass
Mexico Says It’s Working With the U.S. to Stop Gun Smuggling. Washington Isn’t Offering Details.

Gun Trafficking

Mexico Says It’s Working With the U.S. to Stop Gun Smuggling. Washington Isn’t Offering Details.

The Mexican government in late July announced a major new joint operation with the United States to crack down on cross-border gun trafficking. But days after the agreement was announced, details are murky. In fact, the U.S. government won’t even…

Alex Yablon
Border Officials Seized a Record Number of Illegal Machine Gun Kits in 2018

Gun Trafficking

Border Officials Seized a Record Number of Illegal Machine Gun Kits in 2018

The devices turn semiautomatic pistols into illegal machine guns, and their appearance in the U.S. has spiked since 2016, according to government data.

Alex Yablon
Easy Targets

Gun Trafficking

Easy Targets

Tracking stolen firearms through the black market, from gun store thefts to crime scenes.

Brian Freskos
ATF Documents Show How Traffickers Exploit Lax Sellers and Weak Laws

ATF

ATF Documents Show How Traffickers Exploit Lax Sellers and Weak Laws

Smugglers who run weapons across the southern border are loyal customers.

Alex Yablon
Two Studies, One Troubling Takeaway: The Guns Best at Killing Are the Same Guns Criminals Covet

Data

Two Studies, One Troubling Takeaway: The Guns Best at Killing Are the Same Guns Criminals Covet

The same weapons that the gun industry pumps out in ever greater numbers are more likely to fatally injure people, a new study shows. The public safety risks of popular medium- and large-caliber firearms models are compounded by another fresh…

Alex Yablon
Chicago Felons Busted for Gun Trafficking Bought Weapons Via Armslist and Facebook

Gun Trafficking

Chicago Felons Busted for Gun Trafficking Bought Weapons Via Armslist and Facebook

John Philips’s alleged aspirations as a gun runner were complicated by the fact that he himself was banned from owning firearms, and therefore had no way to legally acquire the weapons he planned to traffic onto the streets of Chicago.

Alex Yablon
Maryland Will Invest in Gun Trafficking Crackdown

Gun Trafficking

Maryland Will Invest in Gun Trafficking Crackdown

“Instead of just trying to catch the one guy on the corner with a gun, we’re going to figure out where it came from,” said Scott Shellenberger, the state’s attorney for Baltimore County.

Brian Freskos
Jeff Sessions Talks Gangs in El Salvador, But Fails to Address U.S. Guns in Central America

Gun Trafficking

Jeff Sessions Talks Gangs in El Salvador, But Fails to Address U.S. Guns in Central America

Fixated on Latin American gangs like MS-13, the Trump administration tiptoes around a major source of their weapons.

Alex Yablon
American Guns Drive the Migrant Crisis That Trump Wants to Fix With a Wall

Gun Trafficking

American Guns Drive the Migrant Crisis That Trump Wants to Fix With a Wall

Tens of thousands of firearms smuggled from the United States help to fuel extreme rates of violence south of the border.

Alex Yablon