Blood Gun Money

How America Arms Gangs and Cartels

By: Ioan Grillo

Narrated by: Shawn Compton

Bloomsbury presents Blood Gun Money by Ioan Grillo, read by Shawn Compton.

“An eye-opening and riveting account of how guns make it into the black market and into the hands of criminals and drug lords.” –Adam Winkler

From the author of El Narco and winner of the Maria Moors Cabot Prize, a searing investigation into the enormous black market for firearms, essential to cartels and gangs in the drug trade and contributing to the epidemic of mass shootings.

The gun control debate is revived with every mass shooting. But far more people die from gun deaths on the street corners of inner city America and across the border as Mexico’s powerful cartels battle to control the drug trade. Guns and drugs aren’t often connected in our heated discussions of gun control—but they should be. In Ioan Grillo’s groundbreaking new work of investigative journalism, he shows us this connection by following the market for guns in the Americas and how it has made the continent the most murderous on earth.

Grillo travels to gun manufacturers, strolls the aisles of gun shows and gun shops, talks to federal agents who have infiltrated biker gangs, hangs out on Baltimore street corners, and visits the ATF gun tracing center in West Virginia. Along the way, he details the many ways that legal guns can cross over into the black market and into the hands of criminals, fueling violence here and south of the border. Simple legislative measures would help close these loopholes, but America’s powerful gun lobby is uncompromising in its defense of the hallowed Second Amendment. Perhaps, however, if guns were seen not as symbols of freedom, but as key accessories in our epidemics of addiction, the conversation would shift. Blood Gun Money is that conversation shifter.

©2021 Ioan Grillo (P)2021 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Another brilliant read by Ioan Grillo

immensely enjoyed, fascinated and terrified at the same time. a stern look at a real problem.

Another great book by Ioan Grillo.

A terrific book by a really talented journalist and author. I highly recommend this to anyone interested in the subjects. The Don Winslow even had high praise for this book. That tells you a lot about the quality of investigation and storytelling from the author.

sums it all up

the reviews are pretty rough on the author and I'm not sure why. I think a lot of people think its too soft on Mexico? maybe too critical of the us? is it though? I'm not so sure. He sums up what he thinks would help and then why its not an option , on every issue in the book.
worth a read and still good writing just like the previous 2 books.

Excellent

Issues that overlap but are not necessarily synthesized in enough frequency. The drug, gun, crime, ecosystem exists and the roles of both legitimate and illicit trade contribute to global violence. This book particularly hammers down on the nexus of America’s problems and their run off into Central America & Mexico. This is not an anti-gun book, just a harsh reality check.

Accurate and gutwrenching

My name is Billyjack Curtis and im one of the people the Ioan features in the book. I would like to say he kept it accurate and was a pleasure to talk too. I still struggle to feed my family every day but im not in the streets and im still in the fight. Another masterpiece by Ioan Grillo

Great information

This book is a great work of literature. just getting the correct information for guns in USA. I personally love Ion's books, they are great

A lot of useful information about the gun problem

This is a great book, fool of great journalism investigation. For sure helps to understand the problem of gun trafficking and the role of American gun owners

Enlightening and propulsive story

Terrific narration and a great narrative from a writer whose "Gangster Warlords" book was also top-notch.

Essential Reading

Grillo lays out the way that Mexican cartels and criminal gangs acquire their weapons—from the US. Mexican society has been devastated by the cartels and we play an important role in causing this destruction because of our lax gun laws and week enforcement.

lacks truth

with exception to mexico the author tells a good story but not the story, tells one side yet lacks telling the others involved while indicating one, needs some serious revisions.