Andrew Selsky/AP
- Criminals are using lax gun laws in the United States, specifically in Florida, to traffic guns to Haiti.
- A UN report found that the United States is the "principal source" for guns and munitions in Haiti.
- The weapons are fueling a spike in gang violence in Haiti, the report found.
Loose gun regulations in the United States have turned the country into a gold mine for weapons traffickers, a UN report found.
Criminals are capitalizing off lax gun laws in the United States – specifically in Florida – to traffic weapons into Haiti, exacerbating an already dire crime problem there, the United Nations said in its report released earlier this month.
"The principal source of firearms and munitions in Haiti is in the US, and in particular Florida," the report found. "Weapons are frequently procured through straw man purchases in US states with looser gun laws and fewer purchasing restrictions."
Straw purchases involve an individual buying a firearm and then passing it off to another person "who may not lawfully acquire firearms" or someone who "wishes to conceal their identity," according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Once they are procured, smugglers transport the weapons into Haiti by air, sea, and land, often by way of the Dominican Republic, the report said.
Handguns that sell for $400 to $500 in the United States can be resold for up to $10,000 in Haiti, according to the report.
Meanwhile, high-powered firearms like AK47s and AR15s are in particularly high demand and command "correspondingly higher prices," according to the report, which describes an "iron pipeline" that "shuttles firearms and ammunition to countries across the Americas."
Last year, officials at one port in Haiti recovered more than 100,000 "units of firearms and ammunition" over a span of six months, most of them originating in the United States.
Officials have recovered "increasingly sophisticated" weapons — including .50-caliber sniper rifles, .308 rifles, and even belt-fed machine guns — the report found, citing a spokesperson from the US Department of Homeland Security's investigations unit.
The US State Department has warned US citizens not to travel to Haiti, citing risks of "kidnapping, crime, and civil unrest," Insider previously reported.
Florida recently became the 26th state in the United States to legalize permitless concealed carry. The law, set to go into effect in July after it was signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, rolled back the previous training requirement for a concealed carry permit.
Earlier this month, Democratic lawmakers wrote to the US Government Accountability Office asking for a report on the impact of American firearms being trafficked to the Caribbean, as well as what kinds of legislation could curb trafficking activity, according to the Miami Herald.