O Sung Wu- Thanks for your feedback and the information on the small arms and missiles. I had a look at the website. It's great that Australia is self sufficient in the Army's personal weapons.

Canem Malum, Is Mise

If I directly quote from a source or paraphrase two or three I will reference them. If I'm drawing from a range of knowledgeable sources over the years and making self-explanatory statements, then I see no need for references. But for Is Mise I'll make an exception.

There are two main reasons why.

First reason.

I use the phrase “cognitive bludger”. People are not born stupid but some stop exercising their brain. For me it explains the gobsmacking stupidity of so many statements we read today. People just parrot what they read or see without checking the accuracy and/or taking the time to grasp a better understanding of the background to see if it is contextually correct. So technically, one could reason that Is Mise is exercising his brain to learn more about the US border situation.

Second reason.

I say technically because of what Is Mise asked me to reference.

"In which direction are the guns being run?" "Guns enable the crims to carry out their illegal activities. One of the more lucrative activities is gun-running."

This is a thread on “asylum seekers, drugs and weapons”. People who have only the most basic grasp of the situation on the US border, are aware that cartel and gang violence is the most common reason people use for seeking asylum. "In which direction are the guns being run?" Guns are run in every direction, but in relation to this issue, excuse me if I think the more pertinent direction is gob-smackingly obvious. "Guns enable the crims to carry out their illegal activities.” Again, excuse me if I think that statement is gob-smackingly obvious. You'll notice that Is Mise has dropped the request for a reference on those two and we are just left with the lucrative nature of gun-running. To me it is gob-smackingly obvious that gun-running is a criminal activity. It is also to me, gob-smackingly obvious that it is highly profitable.

........................CONTINUE

.........CONTINUATION

So if these basics are beyond the grasp of Is Mise and he wants to learn about the US border situation, then I will give him reference after reference that will build up the background to the gun violence and the gun running. That way he will be more informed about the situation in Central America. Is Mise will learn that lax USA firearms regulations facilitate the gun running; that USA legislation actual impedes the work of those seeking to curb the gun running; of the proliferation of illegal weapons in Central America and how the bulk of them came from the USA; how these weapons enable the criminals to carry out their legal activities; how these criminal networks undermine democracy. Finally Is Mise will learn what guns fetch on the black market. As Is Mise will already have the figures as to the numbers of illegal weapons in circulation, Is Mise will be able to calculate just how lucrative gun-running is. After all, we don't want Is Mise to be a cognitive bludger throughout the whole process.

So if you want to insinuate that I am making things up, then I think it is only polite that you allow me to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that what I stated is correct.

The latest installment of references -

https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/guns-crime/reports/2018/02/02/445659/beyond-our-borders/

https://www.vice.com/en_au/article/wdbd9y/the-atfs-nonsensical-non-searchable-gun-databases-explained-392

unravel,

You might find it helpful to remove the 's' from 'https' as the link will then go auto without the necessity to paste it.; it's an OLO thing.

So the guns are being run South, that's all I was wondering about.

Doesn't South America make any weapons?

They certainly do make machetes.

Unravel- Thanks for providing the links.

I didn't really want to get deeply involved with this discussion but here we are.

On the US side- It's well known that the US has issues with gun control due to the "right to bear arms" clause of the constitution which is based on their history. Their perspective is that an armed population is necessary for a free people and as a check on government power. They consider it a necessary evil.

On the export of arms out of the US- From the articles it appears that the government are not allowing the selling of small arms to south american countries citizens. US citizens are buying arms from the US and on-selling them to other parties.

Generally all countries are more concerned with the items people are bringing into the country than out of the country- so some would argue that this is the destination countries responsibility.

So what are the destination countries doing to address the import of small arms into their countries? I can imagine there are a number of strategies to prevent the importation of arms. Well regulated air traffic, surface vessel tracking, and land border surveillance are necessary parts of border control. Perhaps the ATF can consult with destination countries to improve their borders.

There are always issues with criminals that cross borders to avoid law enforcement.

I was initially unsure about whether the linked articles had supported their claims but found further on that there appears to be some foundation. I felt that the linked articles provided were fairly one sided treatments of these complex issues. Of course given the partisan nature of the authors this could be expected.

I didn't really want to get deeply involved with this discussion but here we are.......

As you will see you haven't even got a toe in the water.

.....On the US side- It's well known that the US has issues with gun control due to the "right to bear arms" clause of the constitution which is based on their history. Their perspective is that an armed population is necessary for a free people and as a check on government power. They consider it a necessary evil....

Go back, watch and listen to Kyleanne Hunter. It deals with the dirty great big lies about gun control. All they want is basic regulations to make it harder for criminals to own weapons and a ban on combat weapons designed for war zones. The same sort of basic regulations that they have around car ownership. If you mitigate against bad drivers and unsafe vehicles, is it unreasonable to expect something similar against bad gun-owners and unsafe weapons.

......On the export of arms out of the US- From the articles it appears that the government are not allowing the selling of small arms to south american countries citizens. US citizens are buying arms from the US and on-selling them to other parties.

Generally all countries are more concerned with the items people are bringing into the country than out of the country- so some would argue that this is the destination countries responsibility.......

Such a predictable answer. First response – cocaine was not an issue in the South American countries, coca plants have been growing there for hundreds of years and they have long been part of the rural industry. Then drugs became a problem in the US and the US then began sponsoring international laws to force the South Americans to deal with a US problem. If the US expects the Central and South Americans to deal with the problems drugs cause in the US, why is it unreasonable for the Central and South American countries to expect the US to deal with the problems guns cause in their countries.