US must stem 'iron river' of guns flowing to Latin America, activists say

Source: Reuters

US must stem 'iron river' of guns flowing to Latin America, activists say

Sarah Morland
Tue, April 18, 2023 at 7:05 AM EDT

(Reuters) - U.S. guns, many of them exported legally, are flowing into Latin America in an "iron river" ending in the hands of drug cartels and abusive security forces, activists said Monday, calling for greater oversight from U.S. law and federal agencies.

More than half of "crime guns" recovered and traced in Central America are sourced from the United States, according to U.S. gun control agency ATF. This level nears 70% for Mexico and is around 80% across the Caribbean.

"It's called the iron river and it's flooding countries to the south," Elizabeth Burke of U.S. non-profit Global Action on Gun Violence said at an event organized by the Center for American Progress in Washington.

Burke called for rules preventing manufacturers from selling to dealers with lax distribution practices. Manufacturers should also stop selling armor-piercing weapons and guns that can easily be modified to shoot hundreds of bullets at a time, she said.

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