05/29/25 Afternoon CommStock Report – Guns Again

While the US wants to stop illegal immigrants, fentanyl and drugs from being trafficked across both our northern and southern border, Mexico and Canada would like to stop gun trafficking. Guns appear to be the backhaul commodity that Cartels bring back from the border after delivering their illicit goods. Most gun ownership is illegal in Canada so the focus is mostly on gun smuggling into Mexico by the Cartels. As they have now been designated as foreign terrorist organizations, the illegal gun-running is going to get heightened attention. 200,000 guns are reportedly purchased illegally in the US annually and then smuggled to Mexico. Nearly 70% of guns traced from Mexican crime scenes originated in the US. These guns are being traced back to straw sales in US gun shops. That is a lot of straw.   Legal gun sales in the US rise and fall with the political fortunes. According to the WSJ, background checks fell 7.5% in December and gun manufacturers are feeling a pinch. Gun sales tend to rise when democrats are elected as the public fears that they are a threat to legal gun rights. Nothing much changed during the Biden administration because of GOP control of…