Blood Gun Money: Firearms Trafficking Along America’s Iron River

The trial of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman was high profile and filled with salacious details from his escapes to his extravagances to the murders carried out at his behest. A pivotal moment of the case against him was the revealing of various weapons possessed and utilized by his cartel. The narco republic that has ensnared the soul of Mexico is the frequent customer of the gun traffic, as drugs flow north and guns flow south. As Mexico is plagued with the internecine wars of the various cartels, the US has witnessed all too common gun violence and horrific mass shootings. Attempts to control the gun trade are met with fierce resistance, but mainly by the hardcore of gun enthusiasts. The arguments are not over, but there is hope for compromise.

Blood Gun Money cuts to the chase in its multifaceted portrayal of an enduring battle. Author Ioan Grillo (“El Narco”, “Gangster Warlords”) charts the flowing pipeline of the gun trade, from the inner cities of Baltimore to the factories in Eastern Europe. Author Grillo writes an even-handed portrayal of the often frustrating pervasiveness of the gun traffic, interviewing scores of individuals who are on both sides. Investigative Journalism has never felt so palpably poignant.