David Hogg, the ever-vocal gun control activist, recently doubled down on the tired trope that 90% of cartel guns come from the U.S., painting American gun owners and lax laws as the root of Mexico’s violence. But as any firearms analyst worth their salt knows, this is the infamous 90 Percent Myth—a debunked statistic from a 2009 ATF report that cherry-picked data on guns merely *recovered* and submitted for tracing by Mexican authorities. In reality, only about 17-20% of cartel firearms traced back to U.S. sources when you factor in the full picture, with the vast majority being smuggled military-grade weapons from corrupt governments, China, or Eastern Europe. Hogg’s misrepresentation isn’t just sloppy; it’s a deliberate sleight-of-hand to demonize law-abiding Americans while ignoring how strict U.S. export controls and FFL compliance make legal straw purchases a logistical nightmare for cartels.
Digging deeper, this myth persists because it fuels the anti-2A narrative: blame U.S. gun culture for foreign crime, justify more regulations, rinse, repeat. Cartels don’t waltz into gun shops; they exploit walk-away military arsenals from places like Guatemala and Honduras, or buy in bulk from places with zero oversight. The ATF’s own data shows Mexican authorities submit only a fraction of seized guns for tracing—often the ones *most likely* to trace back here—skewing the numbers. For the 2A community, this is a masterclass in media manipulation: Hogg’s claim distracts from real solutions like sealing the southern border or pressuring Mexico to clean house, instead pushing ATF overreach that hits American collectors hardest.
The implications? Every time this myth recirculates, it erodes public support for our rights, paving the way for assault weapon bans or universal background checks that do zilch against criminals. 2A advocates must counter with hard facts—ATF trace reports, GAO audits, even Mexican government admissions—and amplify voices like the NRA or FOIA warriors who’ve shredded this nonsense for years. Don’t let Hogg’s hot takes turn policy; arm yourself with truth, because the real cartel supply chain laughs at American gun laws while thriving on global corruption. Stay vigilant, Second Amendment fam—this one’s far from over.
