This is for all the ones, screaming, this won't ever happen.
Mexican President Felipe Calderon has urged U.S. lawmakers to consider reinstating a ban on the sale of assault weapons to stop arms from flowing across the U.S. border into the hands of Mexican drug gangs.
Mr. Calderon made his appeal Thursday to a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress. He said more than 80 percent of the 75,000 guns and assault weapons seized in Mexico during the past three years have been traced back to the United States.
The Mexican leader said violence in Mexico began growing around the time the U.S. Congress allowed the federal assault weapons ban to expire in 2004.
The ban, enacted in 1994, outlawed 19 types of military-style, semi-automatic weapons, including AK-47s and Uzis.
President Calderon also called on the U.S. Congress to tackle immigration reform, stressing the need to fix what he described as "a broken and inefficient system."
He said his country is doing its best to create opportunities and jobs at home to reduce the causes of migration and give people reasons to stay in Mexico.
President Calderon also told lawmakers he strongly disagrees with a controversial new law in the U.S. border state of Arizona that requires police to question people if there is reason to believe they are in the U.S. illegally.
He said the law uses racial profiling as "a basis for law enforcement."
Mr. Calderon discussed the law in a meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday. President Obama called the law "misdirected," warning it could violate civil rights.
The law, which takes effect in a few weeks, requires immigrants in Arizona to carry registration documents at all times.
President Calderon's government has warned Mexicans they could face an adverse political environment if they travel to Arizona.
Mr. Calderon said he and Mr. Obama will work together on immigration issues.
The two leaders also pledged to work together in the fight against drug trafficking. Mr. Obama praised Mr. Calderon's efforts to fight drug cartels, and said the U.S. administration is working to stem the flow of American guns and money into Mexico.
More than 15,000 people have died in drug-related violence in Mexico since President Calderon took office in 2006 and began cracking down on the cartels.
http://www1.voanews.com/english/new...eals-for-US-Assault-Weapons-Ban-94490064.html
Mexican President Felipe Calderon has urged U.S. lawmakers to consider reinstating a ban on the sale of assault weapons to stop arms from flowing across the U.S. border into the hands of Mexican drug gangs.
Mr. Calderon made his appeal Thursday to a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress. He said more than 80 percent of the 75,000 guns and assault weapons seized in Mexico during the past three years have been traced back to the United States.
The Mexican leader said violence in Mexico began growing around the time the U.S. Congress allowed the federal assault weapons ban to expire in 2004.
The ban, enacted in 1994, outlawed 19 types of military-style, semi-automatic weapons, including AK-47s and Uzis.
President Calderon also called on the U.S. Congress to tackle immigration reform, stressing the need to fix what he described as "a broken and inefficient system."
He said his country is doing its best to create opportunities and jobs at home to reduce the causes of migration and give people reasons to stay in Mexico.
President Calderon also told lawmakers he strongly disagrees with a controversial new law in the U.S. border state of Arizona that requires police to question people if there is reason to believe they are in the U.S. illegally.
He said the law uses racial profiling as "a basis for law enforcement."
Mr. Calderon discussed the law in a meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday. President Obama called the law "misdirected," warning it could violate civil rights.
The law, which takes effect in a few weeks, requires immigrants in Arizona to carry registration documents at all times.
President Calderon's government has warned Mexicans they could face an adverse political environment if they travel to Arizona.
Mr. Calderon said he and Mr. Obama will work together on immigration issues.
The two leaders also pledged to work together in the fight against drug trafficking. Mr. Obama praised Mr. Calderon's efforts to fight drug cartels, and said the U.S. administration is working to stem the flow of American guns and money into Mexico.
More than 15,000 people have died in drug-related violence in Mexico since President Calderon took office in 2006 and began cracking down on the cartels.
http://www1.voanews.com/english/new...eals-for-US-Assault-Weapons-Ban-94490064.html
