Report: Gun-Controlled Mexico Second Only to Syria in ‘Armed Conflict,’ Violence

A report compiled by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) shows that gun-controlled Mexico is second only to Syria when it comes to “armed conflict” and violence.

It should be noted that Syria has been swallowed up by civil war for years, yet remains the only country with more violence than Mexico–according to the study.

NPR reported the findings, noting, “The annual survey’s lead investigator says Mexico’s second-place ranking was surprising, considering the deaths are nearly all attributable to small arms, and not tanks or aircraft fire as in the political wars of Syria or Iraq.”

On August 17, 2016, Breitbart News reported that gun-controlled Mexico’s murder rate was more than five times higher than the murder rate in the U.S.

Mexican citizens are limited to owning rifles of .30 caliber and smaller, revolvers of .38 caliber and smaller, and semiautomatics of 9mm and smaller. In order to acquire these government-approved firearms, CBS News reports that Mexican citizens must pass a background check that includes the submission of six pieces of documentation:

A birth certificate, a letter confirming employment, proof of a clean criminal record from the attorney general’s office in the applicant’s home state, a utility bill with current address, a copy of a government-issued ID and a federal social security number.

Additionally, Mexican citizens are limited to “one handgun for home protection.” Yet the IISS suggests that Mexico is second only to war-torn Syria in “armed conflict” and violence.

An article in IISS Voices observes:

Intentional homicides jumped by 22.8% from 2015 to 2016. Violence continues to increase. The first two months of 2017 were the most violent January and February on record, with 3,779 homicide cases registered by the authorities. The following month was even worse: March 2017 saw 2,020 murders. This was the highest monthly tally since June 2011, a bloody moment in the midst of Mexico’s ‘war on drugs’.

AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and host of Bullets with AWR Hawkins, a Breitbart News podcast. He is also the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.