U.S. firearms flow to neighboring countries and are used to commit a crime every 31 minutes

U.S. firearms flow to neighboring countries and are used to commit a crime every 31 minutes (Central News Agency, Mexico City, comprehensive foreign news report on the 2nd) The Washington DC think tank "Center for American Progress" today...

(Central News Agency, Mexico City, comprehensive foreign news report on the 2nd) The Washington DC think tank "Center for American Progress" released a report today stating that in Mexico, Canada, Central America and the Caribbean, someone uses firearms from the United States to commit a crime approximately every 31 minutes.

The "Center for American Progress" said this figure was based on an analysis of U.S. government data, which showed that between 2014 and 2016, 50,133 firearms seized in criminal investigations in 15 countries came from the United States.

Reuters reported that the report titled "Beyond the Border" pointed out that lax U.S. legal regulations have facilitated the trafficking of U.S.-made firearms to countries plagued by violent gangs, such as Mexico, El Salvador and Honduras.

Homicides in Mexico climbed to the highest level in more than 20 years last year, according to official data released last month.

Analysis of data by the "Center for American Progress" shows that the legal firearms market in Mexico is strictly restricted, but the proportion of homicides by gunfire increased from 15% in 1997 to approximately 66% in 2017.

The Mexican government has asked U.S. authorities to do more to crack down on gun trafficking, but experts have criticized officials from both countries for their lack of cooperation and their failure to stem the southbound flow of firearms. (Translator: Chen Yanjun/Verification: Zhang Youzhi)