Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin in a letter to the Government Accountability Office (GA) called for an assessment of US efforts to combat firearms trafficking in and into Mexico and Central America
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th March, 2019) Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin in a letter to the Government Accountability Office (GA) called for an assessment of US efforts to combat firearms trafficking in and into Mexico and Central America.
"Recent trace data from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives indicates that a significant percentage of crime guns seized in Northern Triangle countries originated in the United States," Durbin said on Friday. "GAO's assessment of the efforts of US agencies and their Central American counterparts in addressing this firearms trafficking would be an important contribution to the debate,"
Durbin asked the GAO to build upon its 2016 report that revealed a need to improve counter trafficking efforts by working with partners in Central America's so called Northern Triangle - Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala - in addition to Mexico and Belize.
The Senator asked for information like records of the origin of the guns used to commit crimes along with assessments of the effectiveness of interagency collaboration and progress metrics.
Durbin also said the firearms trafficking problem is contributing to the violence that is causing many to flee the region and seek asylum in the United States.
