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Aneek Noor
ENGL 102
Professor Orth
7 March 2013
U.S. Gun Control Policy : Failures and Solutions
Drugs and firearms plague the world as society becomes enmeshed in predicaments that
compel people to commit unforgivable crimes. Laura Mehalko focuses on a serious issue that has
gripped Mexico, a nation with strict gun control policy. In her article, This Is Gun Country,
published in the Winter 2012 issue of the Boston College International and Comparative Law
Review, Laura Mehalko analyses the relationship between Mexican drug cartels and U.S. gun
control policy. The article successfully establishes a link between the prevalence of arms
trafficking near the U.S. and Mexican border and the lenience of the current gun control policy.
Laura Mehalko received her J.D.(Juris Doctor) from Boston College Law School and currently
works as a Law Clerk at Steward and Kissell. In her article, Mehalko raises serious questions
regarding the international implications of the U.S. Gun Control Policy and strives to provide
relevant solutions by treading on the norms of drug cartels and by comparing current situations
in both nations.
Laura Mehalko starts off by introducing her readers to the drug trafficking situation in
Mexico which has spread like an insidious disease in the past decade. As she analyses the
reasons that have elevated this issue to the point of national security for Mexico, readers
familiarize themselves with the current scenario involving Drug Trafficking Organizations and
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the contributions of U.S. to the increasing violence on either side of the border. Mehalko
supports these serious claims by stating that more than 40,000 deaths had occurred in Mexico
since 2006 due to cartels. She further justifies her approach by introducing facts and figures
which testify for the impending threat on Mexicos national security. According to the article,
there are 7000 gun stores along the Mexican border which pander to the needs of sinister
individuals looking to harm innocent civilians. Another alarming factor which brings forth the
lax in U.S. gun control policy is the lack of restrictions on firearms sales, making prosecution of
those accused of transacting with Mexican cartels more difficult. A suggestion from a
commentator in the article clearly demonstrates the predicament : lax regulations in Texas and
Arizona reflect both the libertarian traditions of the West and the anxious vigilance of firearms
enthusiasts toward their Second Amendment rights (15). The aforementioned facts compel the
reader to question the effectiveness of the gun control policy and provokes lawmakers to think
about viable solutions to this dilemma.
The article is encapsulated by thoughts and perceptions from lawmakers and political
figures as well as information from various authoritative sources. The plethora of bibliography
along with quotes from prolific personalities attest for the reliability of the article and the
prudence of the author. It is conspicuous from Mehalkos tone in the article that she feels
strongly that something must be done soon in order to efface the scourge of violence that has
claimed thousands of lives. In the article, Mehalko incorporates the comparison between Mexico
and U.S. from different vantage points which enables the reader to grasp both sides of the story.
For example, from the Mexican perspective, the rise in atrocities by the vicious criminal
organizations is mainly due to the availability of high-powered weapons in the border gun stores.
Even though, Mexican law prohibits any individual with the exception of army officials from
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owning such an arsenal, the loopholes in the U.S. gun policy facilitates the trades of such
weapons. In contrast, the U.S. perspective dictates the prevention of such occurrences with the
aid of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms
by tracing illegally purchased arms. In addition, the U.S. and Mexico agreed on a support
package called the Merida Initiative, signed in 2007, to provide military assistance to Mexican
Security forces (176). Mehalko though, initially praises the effort of such initiatives, but later
argues the failure of these efforts to procure any satisfactory results. Such results, she expresses,
might impel the lawmakers to strengthen the current policy but she laments that its not the case.
Mehalkos exemplification of one of the most prominent attempted prosecutions of a U.S.
citizen for supplying guns to Mexican drug cartels demonstrates the flaw in the current gun
control policy. In 2009, George Iknadosian was charged with fraud, conspiracy, and assisting a
criminal syndicate, based on alleged weapon sales to smugglers supplying the Sinaloa drug
cartel. Iknadosian owned a store near the Mexican border named X-Calibur guns, and was
accused of selling over 700 firearms with the knowledge that the weapons were bought on behalf
of DTOs (Drug Trafficking Organizations). The Arizona attorney general, Terry Goodard,
investigated Iknadosian for over a year with the Phoenix Police Department. But in spite of the
incriminating evidence, the Judge dismissed the case, finding that the charges against Iknadosian
were too severe, and that many of the sales were legitimate (57). This event portrays the failure
of the authorities and emphasizes the significance of reforming the current gun control policy.
The example serves Mehalkos purpose of trying to persuade the lawmakers to mend their
intractable ways and procure a solution to the problem.
In the article, Mehalko also addresses the drug smuggling issue in the U.S. Here, she
incorporates the quote of the former president, George W. Bush, to build a credible foundation
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for her analysis : Our countries are working together to fight transnational gangs. . . . Youve
got to understand that these gangs are able to move throughout Central America and up through
Mexico into our own country, and therefore, weve got to think regionally and act regionally
(221). The statement, spoken by George W. Bush in 2009, concerned the U.S. demand for drugs
and the Central American source of drugs. Thus, the solution procured from the statement
evidently supported the availability of firearms to prevent drug trafficking. A solution which has
metamorphosed into a perennial dilemma since the debate over gun control reform has been
internally focusedsimultaneously highly polarized and muddled with conflicting
interpretations of existing authorities.
Mehalko concludes the article with an array of fervent statements seeking answers to this
controversial issue. She states : The strictly internal focus of the United States in the enactment
of rules and regulations has facilitated tragic consequences for Mexican citizens across the
border. Although the U.S. government is rightly charged with protecting the interests of its own
citizens, social circumstances within the national and international community indicate that this
may no longer be the only valid consideration(255). She focuses on the trend of globalization
and requests the consideration of international implications within the U.S. domestic policy in
order to solve the issue. Considerations of these suggestions by lawmakers and implementing
them will greatly reduce smuggling, drug abuse and violence in the future and make the world a
better place to live in.
In this comprehensive intellectual article, Mehalko successfully expresses her opinions
regarding the U.S. gun control policy, provides relevant information regarding drug trafficking
and arms smuggling, compares the perspectives of Mexican and American authorities, and
strives to reach out to the lawmakers with her organized thoughts and solutions. Her plethora of
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examples are logical and bolster her arguments regarding the issue. The issue of gun control has
been a raging debate throughout the American sphere. This article will definitely open the eyes
of all to the failures of the current policy and will drive everyone to make it their sacred
responsibility to adapt a fresh and feasible policy to preserve the lives, futures, families and
communities which comprise the heart of humanity.

Works Cited
Mehalko, Laura.This Is Gun Country : The International Implications Of U.S Gun Control
Policy.Boston College International & Comparative Law Review 35.1 (Winter 2012) :
297-330. Academic Search Complete Databases. Web. 19 February 2013.