Graphics show the avalanche of guns from US to Mexico

Leaked Mexican military intelligence provides detailed information on the southern flow of firearms from the United States, including which types of American-made guns are most likely to end up at a crime scene.Trace data provides the make, model, serial number and first point of sale for weapons recovered in Mexico, offering a window as to which are most in demand.

Investigation:Hacked data reveals a new nightmare for US gun industry

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Here are some of the top models: 

Anderson Manufacturing AM-15

The firearm most commonly found at Mexico crime scenes in the 2018-2020 dataset is the Anderson Manufacturing AM-15, a variant of the AR-15 chambered to shoot the popular 5.56 x 45mm ammunition. Mexican officials recovered more than 500 of the weapons, which are made in Kentucky and sold in gun stores in 16 states.  

Colt Government

The second-most recovered firearm was the Colt Government pistol, with 485 recoveries. That model was the standard-issue U.S. military sidearm from 1911 to 1985. 

Century Arms RAS47

Another popular platform is the AK-47 replica Century Arms RAS47 made in Virginia with 266. In Mexican slang, they're known as “cuernos de chivo,” goat’s horns, due to the curved magazines on the Soviet-era Kalashnikov knockoffs popularized in cartel culture.  

Cheap small arms and revolvers are very popular, too, such as the Jennings JA-25, a small 22 caliber pistol, or the Smith and Wesson Model 10, a classic handgun used by the U.S. military and law enforcement for over a century.

How many guns cross from US to Mexico

These five popular models comprise just a small portion of the avalanche of guns flowing across the border. From 2018 to 2022, at least 78,000 guns were recovered or traced.