Obama, Calderon Repeat Hill’s Gun Lie

At a joint press conference in Mexico today, both Barack Obama and Mexican president Felipe Calderon repeated US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s lie that 90% of guns seized by authorities in Mexico originate in the United States.

This falsehood was echoed earlier in the week on CBS News Face the Nation last Sunday, when Mexican Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan said that 90% of guns seized by authorities in Mexico originate in the United States.

Clinton created the lie when she visited Mexico in late March. At the same time, she also blamed Mexican drug gang violence on “Americans’ appetite for illegal drugs.”

Clinton’s lie was quickly disproved and shown that only 17% of guns found at Mexican crimes scenes have been traced back to the US.

During today’s press conference, Obama also told reporters that he probably will not peruse a ban on assault weapons, and instead focus on ways to improve enforcement in existing law. This includes increasing border patrols and cooperation between American and Mexican authorities.

“I haven’t changed my opinion. [The ban] would make sense, I continue believing that,” Obama said. “[But] none of us is under the illusion that reinstating the ban would be easy.” Bill Clinton’s signing of the Assault Weapons Ban in 1994 contributed to the Democrat Party’s loss of Congress and the Senate that year. The law expired in 2004 and former President George W. Bush refused to renew it.

Obama also said he would push the United States Senate to ratify an inter-American weapons treaty aimed at regulating the trafficking of certain types of guns in the Americas. The Organization of American States adopted the weapons treaty in 1997, and 34 countries have signed the treaty, with 29 having ratified it. Former President Bill Clinton signed the treaty on Nov. 14, 1997, one day after it was endorsed by the OAS, but it was never acted on.

Calderon told reporters that he wants a reinstatement of the Assault Weapons Ban because Mexico has seen an increase in organized crime since the ban expired, but was confident in Obama. “He is well aware of our problems, and we have described it as it is,” Calderon said.

Related posts:

1. Hill’s Lie: 90% US Guns Used In Mex-Crime
2. Bill Works For Hill Cabinet Position
3. Obama Border Plan Not Enough: Lieberman
4. Obama Wants Nuke-Free World
5. Hillary Blames US For Mexican Drug Violence