The facts stated in this report are false. The firearms that were provided by the Mexican Government for the "tracing", were not all firearms used for crime and murder in Mexico, just the ones the suspected were from the US.
Also they refuse to tell you how many of these were part of the botched BATF Operation Gunrunner that under Obama's watch allowed thousands of these guns to go across the border so they could be "traced" to the drug cartels. If you really want to stop this stuff, end prohibition. Back in the 20's, how stupid would it have sounded to have tried to enact legislation to ban private gun ownership in the USA to stop Al Capone and his boys. Well it sounds even more stupid to try to take away our rights to "clean up mexico" and all of it's drug cartel problems.

Wow, just wow. A so called professional journalist is actively putting out misinformation that any one with a I.Q. over a single digit could debunk. Somedays I wish I could go on MSNBC and publically debate these hoplophobes. It's just sad that this guy gets paid to write the drivel.

According to SEDENA, in 2009 and 2010, 129,200 guns were seized in Mexico. According to ATF, in 2009 and 2010, 20,504 guns were traced "to the US". That works out to a percentage of 15.87%.

BUT, we have to factor out, roughly, 1,500 guns that were trafficked by the US Government­. That leaves us with 19,000 guns traced (potential­ly) to "lax US gun laws", or a percentage of 14.7%.

BUT, we still do not know (Because Mexico is not saying) how many of those 19,000 US guns were originally legally sold to the Mexican government or military.

Bottom line? AT MOST 14.7% of crime guns (and 0.0% of crime grenades, RPGs and heavy machine guns) can be traced to civilian sales in the United States.

http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/nacion/185628.html

Look me at me.....I'm now a better investigator and reporter than Robert Zeliger.

Whatever the exact numbers it is the failure of the United States to enforce its own laws on narcotics on its own territory that is causing the problems. The fact that thousands of firearms are also being supplied from the United States is a further disgrace. If any other nation were out of control in this way and spreading such lawlessness it would be regarded as a failed state. Stop whingeing about the precise details and put your own house in order!

http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/2011/06/house-panel-releases-initial-report-fast-and-furious

http://oversight.house.gov/images/stories/Reports/ATF_Report.pdf

The ATF allowed 2000 guns into Mexico for the purpose of tracking them when they were used in crimes.

The interpretation given here is not at all what the report says. If you look at the ATF letter attached to the Feinstein report linked, it reads:

"...of the 29,284 firearms recovered in Mexico in 2009 and 2010 that were subsequently submitted to the [ATF] for tracing, 20,504 are United States-sourced".

As the highlighted portion makes clear, these are not all of the weapons seized in Mexico, just a small subset of them. This important caveat is left out in your bulleted list, it is statistically very significant, and renders your headline and lead graph wrong. As TJ100 and RD8R point out, the actual portion of guns from the US is much closer to 15%.

I kindly request that you please update this post with a formal correction.

That is horrible that most of the guns come from the US. I wonder whether they were sold officially or not like tanklesswaterheaterreviews you can not get for free either. Somebody must have been bribed for that to have happened.

You write: "Congress has been virtually moribund while powerful Mexican drug trafficking organizations continue to gain unfettered access to military-style firearms coming from the United States." Do you want to say that they did not only know it but supported it. I am working on this right know 5toeshoes and I am really wondering whether I should completely drop it and start to look into the Mexican drug thing. Maybe I can help as a volunteer to clean things up.