Mexico Threatens Legal Action Against Gun Manufacturers

By
Rachel Stevenson
-

Well, here we go again—Mexico’s government is more outraged at the United States for calling drug cartels what they are than they are at the cartels themselves. President Claudia Sheinbaum is now threatening legal action against American gun manufacturers and retailers in response to President Trump’s executive order officially classifying cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs). Because, obviously, the real problem here isn’t the violent criminals running their country like a war zone—it’s American gun dealers.

Sheinbaum is leaning on the often-repeated claim that the vast majority of weapons used in Mexico’s rampant cartel violence come from the United States. And sure, the ATF reports that nearly 70 percent of firearms recovered in Mexico were traced back to the U.S., but let’s talk about what that actually means.

It doesn’t mean American gun shops are directly supplying cartels—it means the Mexican government is utterly incapable of controlling its own border and stopping illegal arms smuggling. Mexico has some of the strictest gun control laws in the world, yet cartels are stockpiled like they’re gearing up for a military coup. Maybe, just maybe, that has something to do with their own corrupt officials looking the other way.

Trump’s move to classify cartels as FTOs is a long-overdue step in addressing the real problem. These organizations aren’t just smuggling drugs—they’re running human trafficking rings, committing mass executions, and threatening the stability of both Mexico and the United States. Giving them the same designation as ISIS or Al-Qaeda allows U.S. law enforcement to hit them harder—freezing assets, imposing tougher penalties and even authorizing military action if necessary.

But for some reason, Sheinbaum and the Mexican government aren’t thrilled about the idea of their cartel problem being taken seriously. Why? Because once you shine a light on the corruption and complicity, it starts getting uncomfortable for the people who’ve allowed these criminal empires to flourish.

And let’s not forget Mexico has tried this stunt before. They sued U.S. gun stores in Arizona, blaming them for weapons ending up in cartel hands rather than acknowledging that their own country is a lawless mess where drug lords operate with impunity. Never mind the fact that the cartels also arm themselves with stolen military-grade weapons from corrupt Mexican officials or that they manufacture their own firearms. Nope—the convenient scapegoat is always American gun stores because that’s the politically safe angle.

Despite all the noise, no cartels have officially been added to the Department of State’s FTO list yet. But make no mistake, the panic from Mexico’s government shows just how effective this designation could be. The moment Trump took action, the same people who should be grateful for U.S. intervention started acting like they were the victims.

Meanwhile, former FBI agent Lance Leising speculated that Mexico sees this as an attack on their sovereignty. But here’s the thing—sovereignty comes with responsibility. If Mexico had taken care of its own cartel problem, the U.S. wouldn’t need to step in. Instead, Mexico is more focused on playing the blame game than actually fixing the nightmare that has turned their country into a narco-state. And that should tell you everything you need to know about where their priorities really are.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR