Responding to Comments on CIFTA

Ted Bromund / December 21, 2010

Several comments have taken issue with my post on the recent Washington Post article on the supposed prevalence of gun smuggling from the U.S. to Mexico. I’m glad to respond to their concerns.

Let me begin by pointing out that it is not possible to prove absolutely that, of all the guns in Mexico, only the 17,000 guns I cite in my post, and no others, came from the United States. That is known as seeking to prove a negative.  I should also point out that the burden of proof for those making extraordinary claims – and the claim that up to 90 percent of Mexican guns come from the U.S. is certainly extraordinary – rests on those making the claims, not those expressing skepticism about them, and producing data to back up that skepticism. (more…)