ARMS DEALERS: ROOT OUT LARGE-SCALE RINGS

There's an apparent disconnect -- from hierarchy down to field agents
- -- in our country's endeavor to keep U.S. firearms out of the ongoing
drug wars in Mexico.

A Department of Justice review indicates at least three problems we
must face:

Agents in the field have their focus on small gun dealers rather than
on large-scale smuggling rings.

However, funding has been cut in some gun-tracing operations.

And information between agencies is not being adequately shared. That
includes not sharing with counterparts in Mexico.

There's some feeling that in order to show arrests are being made,
agents on the ground are racking up numbers by focusing on the many
little-guy arms dealers rather than using what resources they have to
seek out and arrest the more evasive big-time gun-runners.

As Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Deputy Director
Kenneth E. Melson said, funding last year only covered seven of the 23
agents needed to expand intelligence operations, and that there was
still no money available for the other 16 this year.

He did rebut the DOJ report by noting that gun investigations are up
109 percent and prosecutions are up by 54 percent.

We have determined that part of our role in helping Mexico regain
control of its country is our stopping arms importation and also
stopping the billions of dollars in cash going into Mexico as lucre
from drug sales in the U.S.

In Mexico, citizens don't have firearms. Only law enforcers, soldiers
and the bad guys have guns.

The billions of dollars going into Mexico allow the drug cartels to
purchase not only weapons, but major influence in all walks of life.

We laud our agents doing ground work in weapons confiscation and
prosecution of dealers.

It is hoped we can also get the manpower to root out the major arms
dealers -- from the U.S. or any other country -- who are using our
border with Mexico as a crossing point for the weapons that keep the
cartels strong and, so far, in power.