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Comment by 15155

14 hours ago

"Iron River" - you're joking, right?

These cartels can:

- effectuate mass synthesis of illicit substances in commercial laboratories

- handle massive intercontinental logistics

- build semi-submersible boats

- hire and kidnap radio engineers to help with communications and electronic warfare

but gee, they just can't figure out how to buy a machine shop and hire or kidnap talent to make 100-year-old firearm designs - that's just too much for them?

36 comments

15155

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consumer451  13 hours ago

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/atf-seizes-thousands-illegal-...

https://texasborderbusiness.com/thousands-of-trafficked-guns...

https://www.stl.news/atf-seizes-illegal-firearms-bound-mexic...

estearum  13 hours ago

Uhhh why would they do that when they can just buy them for super cheap at industrial scale from the US?

And yes the solution to things like organized crime is always just a continuous chipping away and adding friction where you can.

Not giving them massive amounts of cheap, high quality firearms seems like a meaningful goal.

  • luckylion  12 hours ago

    I think the point was: it might be a bit more expensive for them, but it wouldn't stop them from getting guns. Guns are important to their business, they would manufacture them themselves if they could not buy them.

    Would it cost them more? yes. would it be the "number 1 priority" because it's so impactful? no, obviously not.

    • JumpCrisscross  12 hours ago

      > it wouldn't stop them from getting guns

      Maybe I'm overestimating the difficulty of making guns. But I'm aware of zero conflicts in which small arms were manufactured in situ. Even in e.g. Myanmar/Burma. The fact that even remote conflicts go through the trouble of importing arms suggests this might be more difficult than you suggest.

      5 replies →

    • estearum  12 hours ago

      It's quite evident their point is that they don't want gun control and have pre-committed to whatever opinions are necessary to prevent it, including an opinion as absurd as "having to manufacture their own firearms would not be a significant impediment to their operations."

      Mass synthesis of the drugs that cartels produce is trivial (that's why they produce them)

      Putting drugs on trucks is trivial (that's why they do that)

      Rudimentary semi-submersible vessels are impressive but you only need a few and they're not that hard to make (again, that's why they make em)

      The telecom stuff they do is legitimately pretty impressive, but this too is just significant capex for long term benefit -- not so with self-made guns which are significant capex and you get out the other side a low volume of low-quality, non-dependable, often-breaking guns.

  • 15155  13 hours ago

    This is a popular idea amongst American liberals who rejoice at any possible means to eliminate/curb/add friction to lawful firearms ownership and manufacturing.

    Where are they buying firearms in America at an "industrial scale?" An AR-15 receiver can be turned out in tens of minutes on a fast VMC - good luck stopping this.