San Antonio Rep. Castro files bill aimed to curb flow of high-caliber U.S. weapons into Mexico

San Antonio Congressman Joaquin Castro and other lawmakers have introduced legislation in the U.S. House and Senate that aims to stem the trafficking of high caliber firearms from the U.S. to Mexico.

The Stop Arming Cartels Act would prohibit the nongovernmental manufacturing, importation, sale, transfer, or possession of .50 caliber rifles.

“In Mexico in particular, high-caliber weapons smuggled from the United Sates have allowed cartels to shoot down police helicopters, attack military convoys and undercut public faith in law and order,” Congressman Castro said in a release.

The act would also regulate existing .50 caliber rifles under the National Firearms Act and require firearms dealers to report multiple sales of rifles to state and local law enforcement agencies, as is currently required for handguns.

“The Stop Arming Cartels Act would strengthen rifle regulations and prohibit the sale of certain rifles to prevent further violence and bloodshed,” said El Paso Congresswoman Veronica Escobar.

A 2021 study from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives found 70% of crime guns recovered in Mexico from 2014-2018 and were submitted for tracing were sourced from the U.S.

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Prosecuting this kind of case has become a priority for the Justice Department because most of the violence in Mexico is carried out with guns that were bought in the U.S. legally and then smuggled southbound.

The new legislation would build on the 2022 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which was passed following the Robb Elementary school shooting.

It created a stand-alone drug trafficking charge punishable by up to 15 years in prison and gave more resources to law enforcement to intercept guns from the U.S. before they get to cartels.

The .50 caliber rifle has increasingly become the weapon of choice for Mexican cartels and are most often acquired through straw purchases in the U.S. before being trafficked to Mexico. The weapons are powerful enough to take down helicopters and destroy armored vehicles.

In 2021, the Mexican government filed a $10 billion lawsuit against U.S. gunmakers and sellers.

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments on the case after it was initially dismissed by a federal judge in Massachusetts.

Up to 500,000 weapons are trafficked across the U.S.-Mexico border each year, according to the suit.