During his month-long tour of the United States, which culminated in Washington D.C. last week, Mexican poet, journalist and activist Javier Sicilia sought to draw attention to a problem often overlooked in the war on drugs: that of arms trafficking.
While the United States is the final destination of most drugs smuggled through Mexico, there is a steady flow of firearms that comes the other way across the border.
“I came to the U.S. because this is a shared problem and we have to work together to save our dignity, our democracy and our children,” said Sicilia, who became a prominent figure in Mexico’s peace movement following the murder of his son Juan Francisco in Cuernavaca last year.
During the 6,000-mile journey across the United States, Sicilia led his Caravan for Peace with Justice and Dignity to a gun show in Pasadena, Texas. In a matter of minutes, they purchased a .357 Magnum pistol and an AK-47 assault rifle with minimal background checks, demonstrating the ease with which deadly weapons can be obtained north of the border before being smuggled into Mexico.
Upon arriving in Houston, the caravan participants destroyed both guns in protest at the role firearms bought in the United States have played in the death of around 60,000 Mexicans, the disappearance of another 10,000 and the displacement of 160,000 over the last six years.
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