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and American criminals with long records of gun violence make many of the purchases at American gun shows, especially those near the Mexican border.

Health care, immigration reform, and education comprise three prominent domestic issues confronting the Obama Administration. Moreover, international issues like withdrawing from Iraq and dealing with a nuclear Iran present the administration with a full plate. Obama does not want to instigate a political fight he might lose, and one that costs him precious political capital on other policy issues. The National Rifle Association and its bipartisan allies in Congress would put up a stern fight. The Mexican government needs to accept this reality.

Someday, the American government will have to address the assault weapon issue, and not just because of the indiscriminate violence that the weapons wreak in American communities. The cartels brazenly have brought the Mexican drug war to America, along with their illegally smuggled assault weapons. While violence on the American side of the border seems confined to internecine battles, law enforcement officials expect that the cartels will eventually turn their weapons on them.

The Mexican government must understand that assault weapons can be eliminated from the drug war equation without their immediate banishment legislated by the American Congress. Moreover, the Mexican government has to share some of the onus in preventing smuggled guns from reaching their violent destinations. The Mexican government can start sharing the onus by eradicating the widespread corruption that plagues both the police and military.

The American and Mexican governments must share in the spirit of cooperation. One integral element of cooperation is understanding the sensitive political issues that each President faces.

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