Since he began campaigning, Donald Trump has talked about what a dangerous place Mexico has become and the need to secure our southern border against those who would do us harm. It’s a stance that has drawn the president plenty of criticism, but one that is justified nonetheless.
In a recent report compiled by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), it was shown that Mexico is second only to the nation Syria when it comes to armed conflict violence. Given that Syria is a country ravaged by both terrorism and a civil war that has lasted six years and killed an estimated 220,00 people, the fact that Mexico is right behind them is concerning, to say the least.
An article published by NPR noted that the results were unexpected, saying that, “The annual survey’s lead investigator says Mexico’s second-place ranking was surprising, considering the deaths are nearly all attributable to small arms, and not tanks or aircraft fire as in the political wars of Syria or Iraq.”
Though it may come as a surprise that Mexico’s rate of armed conflict is so staggeringly high, it should not come as much of a surprise that Mexico is a country with strict gun-control laws. Time and time again, we see examples where the places with firearm ownership restrictions experience the highest rates of violent crime.
Mexican citizens are allowed to own certain firearms, but only ones that the government approves. They must also pass a stringent background check that requires them to submit six different documents for approval.
According to a CBS News report, these six pieces of documentation are, “A birth certificate, a letter confirming employment, proof of a clean criminal record from the attorney general’s office in the applicant’s home state, a utility bill with current address, a copy of a government-issued ID and a federal social security number.”
In spite of these strict regulations, it is still small-arms that account for almost the entirety of armed violence in Mexico. A simple, logical position in light of this fact would be to admit that, no matter what laws are in place, criminals are going to get their hands on weapons. The only people who are disarmed are those who abide by the laws. This dangerous imbalance where guns are outlawed so only outlaws own the guns creates a safe-haven for crime – much like the crime safe-haven that the recent IISS report showed Mexico to be.
According to an article in IISS Voices outlining specifics on the violence in Mexico, “Intentional homicides jumped by 22.8% from 2015 to 2016. Violence continues to increase. The first two months of 2017 were the most violent January and February on record, with 3,779 homicide cases registered by the authorities. The following month was even worse: March 2017 saw 2,020 murders.”
Of course, not all of this can be contributed to gun control. The firepower and manpower of the Mexican drug cartel are equivalent to that of a small army, and the cartel is ruthless in their efforts to move drugs throughout Mexico and across the border into the United States. This means that they are more than willing to use violent force against anyone who stands in their way.
The inability of Mexican citizens to easily protect themselves, though, has not made matters any better. Furthermore, the Mexican government’s gun control efforts have certainly not hampered the cartel’s ability to access any firearms they desire.
The IISS report teaches us two important lessons. For one, border security still needs to be a priority. Right now, the United States neighbors a country that is so wrecked by violence and drug wars that it ranks near Syria in regards to armed violence. Second, the IISS report shows that the type of gun regulations that liberals are pushing for simply do not work. They have done nothing to curb armed violence in Mexico, and, if anything, they might have actually contributed to it.
To ensure that as little as possible of the violence taking place in Mexico spills over into the United States, let’s hope that President Trump is able to keep our borders strong and our 2nd Amendment rights protected.
~ Conservative Zone
