VOA标准英语2009-US Federal Agents Crack Down on Mexico Gun Smugg

Mexico has been the focus of the H1N1 flu outbreak, but the rash of killings¹ carried out by the country's drug trafficking gangs continues to be an urgent problem. Many of the guns used by hit men working for the drug cartels have been traced back to the United States and U.S. officials are trying to crack down on smuggling² of weapons into Mexico. But the effort may have limited impact on violence in Mexico.

Border guards now searching for guns
　
Border agents check cars for guns in El Paso, Texas

Crossing the border from Mexico to the United States can sometimes involve long waits as Customs and Border Protection agents examine papers and search vehicles. But these days the crossing into Mexico also takes a little more time as federal agents target some vehicles to search for guns.

"We are basing a lot of what we are doing out here on intelligence, just information we are gathering³ from working in this environment....and we are targeting vehicles that we suspect might be conducting that type of business," explained Bill Molaski, director of the Port of El Paso.

The searches at this particular border crossing have only produced one handgun so far, but the effort is praised by Mexico's General Consul⁴ in El Paso, Roberto Rodriguez.

"It is a good start to see what the American authorities are doing, especially stopping the trafficking of guns. Most of the guns used by the gangs in Mexico are coming from the United States," Rodriguez said.

US gun store owners deny they are source of gangs' weapons
　
Texas gun store owner Charles Wagnon

But American gun store owners say it is unlikely gangs are getting many weapons from them.

Charles Wagnon, who owns Tex-Guns in Austin, Texas, says no one comes here to buy an arsenal⁵.

"There is certainly not anybody here buying anything in any kind of quantity to pass them on," he said.

Wagnon says he cannot obtain or sell fully⁶ automatic rifles or grenade launchers like the ones being used by criminal gangs in Mexico.

Analyst⁷: gun store purchases account for very few Mexico crimes

He says some semi-automatic weapons can be converted to full automatic, but only by someone with expertise⁸.

"There are guns that are, apparently⁹, easier to convert than others, but not without a good bit of knowledge," Wagnon explained. "I certainly have no idea who is out there doing that sort of thing."
　
Stratfor analyst Fred Burton

International security analyst Fred Burton, who works for Stratfor (Strategic Forecasting) in Austin, says gun store purchases probably account for very few of the weapons used in Mexico crimes.

"If you think about the volume of weapons the narcos [narcotics traffickers] have in their possession any time there is a bust¹⁰, what you see is an extraordinary number of automatic weapons of Chinese manufacture, Russian manufacture and you do see some weapons that have been stolen or purchased illegally here in the United States," Burton said.

Mexican military cited as gun source

He says many of the U.S. guns in criminal hands come from the Mexican military, which has a high rate of desertion.

"You have soldiers defecting with not only issued military weapons, it could be issued ammunition¹¹, issued grenades," he said.
　
German Torres Jimenez, aka "Z-25", of 'Los Zetas' drug cartel, is presented to the press at Command Centre in Mexico City, 25 Apr 2009

Burton notes that one of the most fearsome drug gangs in Mexico, the so-called Zetas were members of an elite¹² military unit that switched sides and have used their training and their weapons against their former comrades.

Many guns used by Mexican soldiers come from direct commercial sales by American companies, approved by the U.S. State Department, something Burton says should be examined more closely.

"I think that is going to be an issue as we look at some of the foreign aid initiatives into Mexico," Burton said, "meaning what are we issuing to them, what are we selling the Mexican government and where are the weapons going?"

No system for tracing, identifying guns

Initial claims that 90 percent of guns used by criminals in Mexico came from the United States turned out to be based on faulty data analysis. The real figure is probably less than half, but hard to determine because there is no coordinated¹³ system between Mexico and the United States for tracing and identifying guns.

That is something Mexican Consul Roberto Rodriguez says should be addressed.

"We need to find a way to cooperate with each other in order to trace the guns in a proper way," Rodriguez said.

He says talks are under way between the two nations on how to establish a better system for law enforcement agencies in each country to share information on guns with each other.

1 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

2 smuggling   

n.走私

参考例句：

• Some claimed that the docker's union fronted for the smuggling ring.某些人声称码头工人工会是走私集团的掩护所。
• The evidence pointed to the existence of an international smuggling network.证据表明很可能有一个国际走私网络存在。

3 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

4 consul   

n.领事；执政官

参考例句：

• A consul's duty is to help his own nationals.领事的职责是帮助自己的同胞。
• He'll hold the post of consul general for the United States at Shanghai.他将就任美国驻上海总领事(的职务)。

5 arsenal   

n.兵工厂，军械库

参考例句：

• Even the workers at the arsenal have got a secret organization.兵工厂工人暗中也有组织。
• We must be the great arsenal of democracy.我们必须成为民主的大军火库。

6 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

7 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

8 expertise   

n.专门知识(或技能等)，专长

参考例句：

• We were amazed at his expertise on the ski slopes.他斜坡滑雪的技能使我们赞叹不已。
• You really have the technical expertise in a new breakthrough.让你真正在专业技术上有一个全新的突破。

9 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

10 bust   

vt.打破；vi.爆裂；n.半身像；胸部

参考例句：

• I dropped my camera on the pavement and bust it. 我把照相机掉在人行道上摔坏了。
• She has worked up a lump of clay into a bust.她把一块黏土精心制作成一个半身像。

11 ammunition   

n.军火，弹药

参考例句：

• A few of the jeeps had run out of ammunition.几辆吉普车上的弹药已经用光了。
• They have expended all their ammunition.他们把弹药用光。

12 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

13 coordinated   

adj.协调的

参考例句：

• The sound has to be coordinated with the picture. 声音必须和画面协调一致。
• The numerous existing statutes are complicated and poorly coordinated. 目前繁多的法令既十分复杂又缺乏快调。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法