Ted Poe: “The United States Government has facilitated smuggling automatic weapons into Mexico, weapons that were purchased by…”

“The United States Government has facilitated smuggling automatic weapons into Mexico, weapons that were purchased by straw buyers in the United States with the oversight of the ATF. Approximately 2,000 weapons were knowingly sent to our neighbors in Mexico by our government. Most of them are still unaccounted for. But we do understand that those weapons probably have been used illegally in Mexico to kill Mexican nationals. How many, no one knows. Two of those automatic weapons have turned up at the murder scene in Arizona of Border Patrol agent Brian Terry. And one weapon apparently was used to gun down U.S. agent Jaime Zapata in Mexico. The Mexican government has taken to the airwaves complaining of the U.S. smuggling operation. Mexican officials want answers, and even want U.S. Government officials responsible to be extradited to Mexico for trial. No wonder. Madam Speaker, let me be clear: These weapons are not BB guns or .22 rifles; they are semiautomatic weapons and also include sniper rifles. Sniper rifles are used to assassinate specific targets. The ATF and the Justice Department have stonewalled the release of information regarding this operation called Fast and Furious, and the public's not getting much data on this idiotic idea. Why would the U.S. Government send automatic weapons to the drug cartels in Mexico? Mexico is at war with the drug cartels.…”