ONDCP. Most Firearms Seized in Mexico That Are Traced by ATF Come from the United States, and Most Are Purchased in Southwest Border States

		Most Firearms Recovered in Mexico That Are Traced by ATF Come from the United States

Data from ATF on firearms seized in Mexico and traced from calendar  year 2009 to 2014 indicate that the majority originated in the United  States. About 17 percent of the total, 17,544 firearms, were traced to a country  other than the United States. Of firearms seized by ICE  from 2009 to 2014, 2,341, or 39 percent, were long guns—including rifles  and shotguns. 3). Trafficking in Firearms Parts May Facilitate DTOs’ Acquisition of Firearms and Complicates Authorities’ Efforts to Prevent Trafficking

ATF and Mexican government officials told us that a new complicating  factor in their efforts to fight firearms trafficking is the use of weapons  parts transported to Mexico to be later assembled into finished firearms. ATF and ICE Have Taken Steps to Improve Collaboration, but Lack of Monitoring May Contribute to Coordination Challenges

		ATF and ICE Have Taken Steps to Improve Collaboration, but Some Challenges Remain

ATF and ICE have taken several steps to improve coordination on efforts  to combat firearms trafficking that we previously identified. In 2009, we  reported instances of dysfunctional operations, duplicative initiatives, and  jurisdictional conflicts between ATF and ICE. In response to our  recommendations on how to address these challenges, ATF and ICE  updated and signed an interagency collaboration memorandum of  understanding (MOU) in June 2009. ICE and ATF officials said that after the MOU was signed, they held joint  training exercises and conferences to ensure that agents had knowledge  of the MOU and its jurisdictional parameters and collaboration  requirements. Agencies in Stemming Firearms Trafficking to Mexico

The indicator used in the Strategy to track progress by U.S. agencies to  stem firearms trafficking to Mexico does not adequately measure  implementation of the strategic objective. As previously  noted in this report, ATF officials readily acknowledge that shifts in the  number of guns seized and traced do not necessarily reflect fluctuations  in the volume of firearms trafficked from the United States to Mexico in  any particular year. Recommendations for Executive Action

We recommend that the Attorney General of the United States and the  Secretary of Homeland Security convene cognizant officials from ATF  and ICE to institute a mechanism to regularly monitor the implementation  of the MOU and inform agency management of actions that may be  needed to enhance collaboration and ensure effective information  sharing. Agency Comments

We provided a draft of this report for review and comment to the  Departments of Homeland Security, Justice, and State; and the Office of  National Drug Control Policy. We corroborated this information in discussions with U.S. and  Mexican law enforcement officials. To learn more about U.S. government efforts to combat illicit sales of  firearms in the United States and to stem the flow of these firearms  across the Southwest border into Mexico, we interviewed cognizant  officials from the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) ATF, the Department of  Homeland Security’s (DHS) Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)  and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the Department of State  (State) regarding their relevant efforts. We reviewed and analyzed DOJ and DHS documents relevant to U.S.  government efforts and collaboration to address arms trafficking to  Mexico, including funding data provided to us by ATF and ICE, the 2009  memorandum of understanding (MOU) between ICE and ATF, data from  ICE on seizures of firearms destined for Mexico, data from ATF and ICE  on efforts to investigate and prosecute cases involving arms trafficking to  Mexico, and agency reports and assessments related to the issue. To assess the extent to which the National Southwest Border  Counternarcotics Strategy (Strategy) outlines U.S. goals and progress  made in efforts to stem firearms trafficking to Mexico, we reviewed the  2011 and 2013 versions of the Strategy’s Weapons Chapter and the 2010  implementation guide.
Why GAO Did This Study

Violent crimes committed by drug trafficking organizations in Mexico often involve firearms, and a 2009 GAO report found that many of these firearms originated in the United States. ATF and ICE have sought to stem firearms trafficking from the United States to Mexico.
GAO was asked to undertake a follow-up review to its 2009 report ( GAO-09-709 ) addressing these issues. This report examines, among other things, (1) the origin of firearms seized in Mexico that have been traced by ATF, (2) the extent to which collaboration among U.S. agencies combating firearms trafficking has improved, and (3) the extent to which the National Southwest Border Counternarcotics Strategy measures progress by U.S. agencies to stem firearms trafficking to Mexico. To address these objectives, GAO analyzed program information and firearms tracing data from 2009 to 2014, and met with U.S. and Mexican officials on both sides of the border.

What GAO Found

According to data from the Department of Justice's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), 73,684 firearms (about 70 percent) seized in Mexico and traced from 2009 to 2014 originated in the United States. ATF data also show that these firearms were most often purchased in Southwest border states and that about half of them were long guns (rifles and shotguns). According to Mexican government officials, high caliber rifles are the preferred weapon used by drug trafficking organizations. According to ATF data, most were purchased legally in gun shops and at gun shows in the United States, and then trafficked illegally to Mexico. U.S. and Mexican law enforcement officials also noted a new complicating factor in efforts to fight firearms trafficking is that weapons parts are being transported to Mexico to be later assembled into finished firearms, an activity that is much harder to track.
In 2009, GAO reported duplicative initiatives, and jurisdictional conflicts between ATF and the Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). That year, in response to GAO's recommendations on these problems, ATF and ICE updated an interagency memorandum of understanding (MOU) to improve collaboration. ATF and ICE have taken several steps since then to improve coordination on efforts to combat firearms trafficking, such as joint training exercises and conferences to ensure that agents are aware of the MOU and its jurisdictional parameters and collaboration requirements. However, GAO found that ATF and ICE do not regularly monitor the implementation of the MOU. In the absence of a mechanism to monitor MOU implementation and ensure that appropriate coordination is taking place between the two agencies, GAO found that gaps in information sharing and misunderstandings related to their roles and responsibilities persist.
The indicator used to track U.S. agencies' efforts to stem firearms trafficking to Mexico in the Office of National Drug Control Policy's (ONDCP) National Southwest Border Counternarcotics Strategy , by itself, does not adequately measure progress. ONDCP tracks progress based on the number of arms seized in Mexico and traced to the United States; however, this number does not reflect the total volume of firearms trafficked from the United States, and it does not take into account other key supporting agency actions and activities as measures.

What GAO Recommends

GAO recommends that the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Attorney General of the United States take steps to formally monitor implementation of the 2009 MOU between ATF and ICE. GAO also recommends that ONDCP establish comprehensive indicators that more accurately reflect progress made in efforts to stem arms trafficking to Mexico. The Departments of Homeland Security and Justice, and ONDCP agreed with GAO's recommendations.