Ever since it became clear that U.S. gun shops are major suppliers of weapons used by drug traffickers in Mexico, this country has had an obligation to help stop the slaughter south of the border.
So far, however, the federal government has failed to make a dent in this destructive traffic. An early Obama administration initiative, known as Operation Fast and Furious, was widely ridiculed for giving agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives permission to allow drug cartel associates to buy weapons and smuggle them across the border in an attempt to gather evidence on Mexican kingpins. The program was shut down after it came to light.
Now the AFT has come up with a better idea — to require gun dealers in four border states to notify federal authorities about individuals making frequent purchases of high-powered weapons. The gun lobby has responded furiously, claiming it’s just one more effort to restrict the rights of gun owners, and a majority on the House Appropriation Committee voted earlier this month to block fun ding for the program.
That’s wrong. Lawmakers can’t pretend the United States is not part of the problem. Even some gun shop owners in Texas have said the program makes sense. Yes, it will require more paperwork — the government says the rule could generate about 18,000 reports a year — but it’s worth a try if it helps this country to stop enabling murder and mayhem in Mexico.
The rest of Congress should refuse to go along with the House committee’s action.
Miami Herald (July 28)
Stop encouraging N. Korea
North Korea has been milking its nuclear program for food and other aid for 20 years. Now the nation is at it again. The State Department says officials will meet soon with a North Korean official to explore whether to restart the multilateral talks that fell apart in 2009.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the meeting is aimed at determining whether Pyongyang is serious about living up to its obligations under previous agreements.
That shouldn’t be hard to determine. North Korea’s performance over the years has turned its credibility into a cartoon.
Start with the “Agreed Framework” of 1994, under which it promised to freeze its nuclear program. The regime complied, but then started up another nuke program in secret. The long-established pattern is that the North Koreans threaten another nuclear test or provocation to win more aid. Much of the time this has worked.
This year, the food shortages are especially acute, which means Washington and South Korea should be prepared for more provocative actions. That would mean more nuclear tests and more sudden attacks like those of the last year or so, such as the unprovoked sinking of a South Korean warship and the shelling of a South Korean island.
Clinton set the right tone when she warned, “We will not give them anything new for actions they have already agreed to take.” The lesson of the last 20 years is that giving aid in response to threats only encourages more threats.
Kansas City Star (July 28)