Drug Policy

Is a proposed arms trade treaty a threat to the 2nd amendment?

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Negotiations at a United Nations conference over a proposed Arms Trade Treaty, which would regulate conventional arms sales across borders, ended in July without a report. The talks will likely resume, however, and many are concerned about the treaty’s implications for the Second Amendment. The concern is justified, given the treaty’s goal is weapons control. Its terms are vague and could be used to launch efforts to attack the constitutional right to bear arms. Continue Reading →

Why the ATF should be bigger

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The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has been lambasted by the media, Congress and the gun lobby in the wake of the failed Operation Fast and Furious. It is the most criticized law enforcement agency in the United States today and yet has one of the most important, necessary and difficult briefs. It must enforce firearm laws in the United States, a country with an emotionally charged tradition of gun ownership. Continue Reading →

Gun-related violence and public policy: A broken link

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Under normal circumstances, recent tragedies such as the shooting of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and the massacre at a Colorado movie theater should have led to a serious consideration of the failures of public policy. Policy itself should have been examined and tweaked until better policies regarding gun access and ownership were found. Gun incidents, however, rarely lead to political action or a public policy change. The ideological charge and the high emotionalism that surround the regulatory apparatus of guns are extraordinary and completely bypass the “normal” path to public policy change. Continue Reading →

Corruption: A lethal weapon, too

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Congress recently released a report on the U.S. government’s controversial Fast and Furious “gun-walking” investigation, severely criticizing the Justice Department for allowing criminals to smuggle hundreds of firearms into Mexico. While the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was experimenting with gun-running in Arizona, it concurrently reported that Houston is the No. 1 spot of origin for weapons that have been traced from Mexican organized crime scenes back to the United States. Yet, no federal undercover operations (a la Fast and Furious) have been reported in Texas, a state that makes up two-thirds of the U.S.-Mexico border and that shares numerous bi-directional, land-based ports of entry with Mexico. It’s obvious that we’ve been going about this the wrong way. Continue Reading →

Mexico, drugs and a possible way forward

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If Mexico implements president-elect Enrique Peña Nieto’s proposed paramilitary force (gendarmerie) composed of 40,000 former soldiers, the success of the force and its impact upon drug-related violence will depend on its funding levels and initial selection process. The goal is laudable: remove the military from an essentially civilian police function by creating a force capable of fighting Mexican organized crime groups. Continue Reading →

Recycling a failed idea in Mexico

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In light of the lack of clarity about the force, we must consider two important issues. The first is Mexico’s experience with such forces, and the second is the set of political constraints that will complicate the creation of a National Guard. On the first issue, it must be said that Mexico’s experience with special police forces is, at best, discouraging. Many mayors and governors, as well as the federal government, have created special forces to fight drug cartels — only to see them become corrupt, ineffectual and eventually dismantled. Continue Reading →