New York [US], August 12: U.S. firearm exports have been fueling violent crimes in Guatemala and worsening the country's migrant crisis, Bloomberg reported on Thursday.
American gunmakers have been the leading supplier of firearms to Guatemala for years. Following a regulatory change in 2020, shipments have more than doubled, pushing the country as the top destination for U.S.-made semiautomatics in Latin America, said the report.
Imports of U.S. semiautomatic firearms jumped from an average of about 3,600 per year in the 2010s to more than 10,000 in 2021, and nearly 20,000 in 2022.
"The number of murders in Guatemala has risen annually, after 11 straight years of decline. More than 80 percent have involved firearms," said the report.
"The National Security Council says Guatemala's lawlessness is fueling waves of desperate migrants. The Commerce Department has said the instability is a 'unique opportunity' for gunmakers," it added.
In 2020, regulatory authority for approving firearm exports shifted from the U.S. Department of State to the Department of Commerce, a switch that the gun industry hoped would ease delays and result in more exports. Since then, the rise in sales to Guatemala has been among the steepest of any nation, according to the Bloomberg analysis.
Source: Xinhua