Chairman of the House Western Hemisphere Subcommittee Sends Letter to Secretaries Napolitano and Clinton and Attorney General Holder

Washington, D.C.--Today, Congressman Eliot L. Engel – the Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere – sent a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Attorney General Eric Holder applauding their announcement of a major Southwest border security initiative, and urging them to “complement these efforts by doing much more to enforce current U.S. laws that would help to curb illegal gun trafficking from the United States into Mexico.”

Specifically, the letter urges the Obama Administration to return to enforcement of the ban on imported assault weapons, which was previously enforced by the administrations of Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton. The letter points out that “this is not a Second Amendment issue, as this import ban applies only to halting shipments of assault weapons with no sporting purpose at and before they reach U.S. borders.” The letter was also signed by Reps. Michael N. Castle (R-DE) and Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY).

Engel – who has consistently called for bold U.S. action to curb the illegal flow of firearms from the U.S. into Mexico – says that “the availability of military-style assault weapons has armed a dangerous criminal element in Mexico, and it has made the job of drug cartels easier.”

On February 12th, Reps. Engel, Castle and McCarthy – along with a bipartisan group of 50 of their colleagues – sent a letter to President Obama urging him to return to enforcement of the ban on imported assault weapons, including those that are fully manufactured abroad as well as those imported as parts, which was previously enforced during the administrations of Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton. In recent years, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has quietly abandoned enforcement of the import ban. As a result, the U.S. civilian firearms market is flooded with imported, inexpensive military-style assault weapons. These assault weapons – which often come from Eastern Europe – are frequently being trafficked from the U.S. across the border into Mexico. To get around the ban, importers have been able to skirt restrictions by bringing in assault weapons parts and reassembling them with a small number of U.S.-made parts. Enforcing the existing import ban requires no legislative action.

The full text of today’s letter from Reps. Engel, Castle and McCarthy follows:

March 24, 2009

The Honorable Janet Napolitano
Secretary of Homeland Security
Washington, DC 20528

The Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Washington, DC 20520

The Honorable Eric Holder
Attorney General
Washington, DC 20530

Dear Madam Secretaries and Mr. Attorney General:

We write to applaud your announcement today of a major Southwest border security initiative designed to crack down on Mexican drug cartels. In particular, we are pleased by your announcement of enhanced efforts to track the illegal flow of weapons from the United States to Mexico. We are glad that this includes enhanced resources for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) along the Southwest border, and through eTrace.

To complement these efforts, we believe much more must be done to enforce current U.S. laws that would help to curb illegal gun trafficking from the United States to Mexico.

On February 12th, we sent a letter – along with a bipartisan group of 50 of our colleagues – to President Obama urging him to return to enforcement of the ban on imported assault weapons, including those that are fully manufactured abroad as well as those imported as parts, which was previously enforced during the administrations of Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton. We believe that this issue has important implications for domestic public safety, homeland security, and our bilateral relationship with Mexico.

Unfortunately, in recent years, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has quietly abandoned enforcement of the import ban. As a result, the civilian firearms market is flooded with imported, inexpensive military-style assault weapons from primarily former Eastern bloc countries. Importers are also able to skirt the restrictions by bringing in assault weapons parts and reassembling them with a small number of U.S.-made parts. In addition, assault weapon “parts kits” for assembly by individuals are being imported.

As you know, assault weapons are being smuggled in bulk from U.S. border states to Mexico where they are used by narco-traffickers to fuel a drug war that is killing Mexican law enforcement and other officials at alarming rates.

When the Merida Initiative was announced in October 2007, the George W. Bush Administration made a commitment to “intensify efforts” to combat the illegal trafficking of guns from the U.S. into Mexico. A return to the enforcement of the ban on the import of all assault weapons would help us to live up to this commitment.

In closing, we would like to emphasize that this is not a Second Amendment issue, as this import ban applies only to halting shipments of assault weapons with no sporting purpose at and before they reach U.S. borders.

Again, we are very encouraged by your announcement today, and urge the Obama Administration to complement these efforts along the Southwest border with a return to enforcement of the ban on imported assault weapons.

Sincerely,

Eliot L. Engel (D-NY), Chairman, House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere
Michael N. Castle (R-DE)
Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY)