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Mariana: The US is the most heavily armed nation
in the world.
Gunshot
And every day guns fall into the wrong hands.
Radio: He ran northbound. He had a gun.
Mariana: From the gun shows of America.
Jesse: You could kill a polar bear.
Mariana: To the home turf of an infamous drug cartel.
And that's where we're going to go?
Darren: See you in Mexico.
Mariana: We go undercover.
Jesse: Even for $700, people will kill you for that.
Mariana: To see how just about anyone.
Darren: Ask if you can buy all 14 today.
Store clerk: You want to buy all the AKs?
Mariana: Can get ahold of deadly weapons.
Darren: This was a bad idea.
Mariana: I'm Mariana Van Zeller.
My husband Darren and I are investigative journalists.
Together we search the globe for amazing stories. Whoa!
Now we're going deeper than ever for an inside look at an America
you've never seen before.
Darren: You know the drill. Say something.
Mariana: One two three. Happy fourth.
Darren: Yeah, you sound good.
Mariana: Yeah? It's the fourth of July, it's about seven a.m.
in the morning.
Uh, we're in the middle of the desert in Arizona.
And you could probably hear all around us there are people
shooting guns.
This is the Independence Day rifle match.
Organizer: So safely open the door.
Participant: Can you kick it? Organizer: Yes you may.
Participant: Can you use the muzzle of the gun?
Organizer: Yes you may.
Mariana: Growing up in Europe I had very little exposure
to firearms.
And I was always amazed by America's love affair with guns.
What better place to begin to immerse myself in the culture
than here.
The Independence Day rifle match is an annual event held just
outside of Phoenix.
Organizer: Through this door there is a swinging no shoot
target. Try not to hit it.
Mariana: It's a shooting competition where pros and
novices test their marksmanship.
Participant: Standby. Hit.
Gunshots
Participant: I lucked out. I didn't shoot the penalty target.
Mariana: But it's also a celebration of the second
amendment. The right to bear arms.
Celebrated of course with lots of fire power.
Gunshots
You can actually feel the vibrations from the guns
being fired.
Participant: Hit.
Mariana: What guns are most people using here?
Jon: Most people are using M16 AR15 style weapons.
Mariana: And the M16 is the one that's used by the US Military.
Jon: Yes.
Mariana: With almost one gun for every man, woman, and child,
the US is the most heavily armed nation in the world.
And the state of Arizona has some of the most lenient gun
laws in the US.
Richard: To me it's the Mecca.
It's one of the freer states even in America, you know,
where else can you carry a gun on your hip and just walk around
the streets?
Richard Bhella is one of the rifle match's organizers.
Richard: Have you shot a gun before?
Mariana: I have never shot a gun in my life.
Richard: Oh, well. I feel honored.
Mariana: I feel scared. D, are you nervous for me?
Darren: Yeah.
Mariana: You are? If you guys don't know he's my husband. So.
Richard: Oh.
Mariana: He's, he's probably even more nervous
than I am right now.
Richard: Well, only if you shoot him. Okay, let's go.
From here you're going to shoot those four steel targets that
you saw over there. If you look at them.
Mariana: Yeah, I got it. Richard: Okay.
When you hit it the thing will rock back and I'll shout hit.
Mariana: Okay. Richard took me through a dry run of the course.
I'm getting so nervous right now.
Richard: It's called adrenaline. I feel the same way.
Mariana: And before I know it I'm looking downrange with
my finger on the trigger of a high powered assault rifle.
Richard: Just keep aware of the muzzle direction and everything
will be fine.
Gunshots
Hit. Just right. Hit. Hit. Hit.
Darren: Shells are flying my way.
Gunshot Richard: There you go.
Gunshots
Range is clear.
Mariana: Wow. It's a total rush.
Richard: Let's go check your targets. Two hits.
This one's neutralized.
Mariana: One two, yes. Richard: You got it clean.
Perfect. Mariana: Thank you.
Richard: There's this intuitive feeling that guns are somehow
dangerous or contribute to problems in society.
But what we do here is harmless, it's safe,
and it's a lot of fun.
Participant: One ahead. Some people choose to bowl.
Some people choose to play golf. We just choose shooting.
Gunshots
Mariana: For many in Arizona owning a gun is a much a right
as a way of life.
And every day across America law-abiding gun owners enjoy
their firearms safely and responsibly.
But what happens when guns aren't just a hobby?
Participant: Standby. Gunshot
Operator: Hello, this is 911. Jen: I've been shot.
Operator: Where are you shot on your body?
Jen: I don't know. I cannot move. Please hurry.
I'm dying. I was engaged to be married.
And my fiancé and I decided we would, uh,
run down and just get a quick drive through dinner
and bring it home.
And we pulled into this parking lot, and, uh,
another truck just zoomed up beside us.
In a matter of just a couple of seconds there were five bullets.
And we'd both been shot.
I was shot in the back, and my fiancé was shot three times.
Mariana: What happened to your fiancé, to David?
Jen: He has a very severe brain injury.
David is, is blind.
He now lives in a facility where he has care 24-7.
Um, there's always a layer of grief. I miss my fiancé.
Can we stop for a minute? please?
Mariana: Yeah, of course. I'm so sorry.
I'm sorry, I didn't mean to.
Jen: It's okay, it's okay. I just need just a second.
Mariana: Jen believes the shooting was a random event.
But that gun in the fast food parking lot changed her life
forever.
Jen: I think that especially here in Arizona,
that our gun laws are just insane.
There are always going to be bad guys.
But the harder it is for them to get a gun,
the fewer of them will use guns.
Mariana: Jen is only one victim of the roughly half a million
crimes committed with a firearm in the US every year.
Local police departments are often on the frontlines.
Tonight we're going out on patrol with officer
Mike Rapiejko of the Tucson PD.
Rapiejko was formerly a police officer in New York City.
Mike: Coming from a city like New York which has some of
the strictest gun laws in the country, it was a bit of a,
a culture shock for me.
In New York City if you went to the supermarket and somebody
was walking around with a gun I would tackle that person
in the produce aisle.
Obviously that would not be okay to do that here.
So I just had to get used to the fact that people are allowed
and will carry guns out here.
Officer: He ran northbound through the center of
the complex. He had a gun.
I lost sight of him.
Mariana: There was a fight between two men here
in this apartment complex.
Both of them are believed to have been armed.
One of them has been detained.
Male: What did I do?
Officer: Right now you're not complying with the police.
Sit down.
Mariana: They are still looking for the other suspect.
You see the helicopter above us. They have their K9 unit here.
Male: Censored Man that's how tight you put them on me, dog.
Ow!
Mike: Who found him? Did you find him?
Officer: Yeah, he saw me and then that's when he took off.
Mike: Good spot, man.
Now this guy was supposed to have a gun as well?
Officer: Yeah.
Mike: So we're thinking he ditched it somewhere between
where he took off from and here. Officer: And here, yeah.
Mike: Okay, very good. Good job man.
Mariana: The suspect that they just arrested had a gun.
And then they believe that he must have tossed it somewhere.
Mike: You didn't see anybody toss a gun running through here,
did you?
Neighbor: No, I just came outside right now.
Mike: All right.
Mariana: So there's a pretty good indication of the criminal
possession.
Mike: Obviously we don't want a kid to come out playing tomorrow
and find that.
Where's the, where's the gun that was recovered?
Officer: It's in Magnasen's trunk.
Mike: So this is the, the other handgun that was recovered.
Definitely dangerous, definitely would kill someone
if they were shot with that.
Mariana: Why was he trying to hide that gun?
Mike: Uh, that I don't know.
Um, I could speculate and say that he's a prohibited possessor
But I don't know that yet, so we'll run that.
The individuals, both of them.
Find out if either one of them is a prohibited possessor.
And if nothing else there's at least one gun off the street
for tonight.
Mariana: It's just one gun on one night in one city.
But we want to understand how it got here.
How do guns wind up in the wrong hands?
To find out we're going to become the bad guys.
If we were to go in there how far could I get?
Darren: There's only one way to find out.
Mariana: We're going to try to get guns the way
a criminal might.
Darren: Ask if you can guy all 14 today.
Mariana: He's asking if we can take all 14 today,
and we'll pay cash.
Avoiding background checks and finding sellers that don't ask
too many questions. No questions asked.
Darren: Ready to rock and roll, baby.
Mariana: From here on out we're anonymous criminals looking
to get armed.
I'm just going to type in, uh, gun store on Google here.
See how many gun stores there are here in the Phoenix area.
Wow. Suddenly all these red dots popped up.
Darren and I are in the gun loving state of Arizona looking
to get our hands on some guns the way a criminal might. Whoa.
Darren: 1500 hits.
Let's just for fun, let's search McDonalds.
See how many McDonalds there are in the Phoenix area.
Mariana: 1052.
It, it's crazy, if you actually search for gun stores here
in Phoenix you have more hits than looking for McDonalds.
Darren: But to be fair, have you ever tried to defend yourself
with a hamburger? Both: Laugh
Mariana: With hundreds in the area,
gun stores seem like a pretty good place to start.
As licensed dealers they are required to perform
a background check.
We want to see if any of these gun stores would be willing
to look the other way in exchange for some quick cash.
Darren: So these are the hidden camera glasses.
Um, to turn them on you just press this button here.
Mariana: Okay.
Darren: And, uh, they should be good to go.
Mariana: Yeah? Darren: Yeah, they look good.
Mariana: Yeah?
Darren: I'll be able to hear you the whole time.
So if anything goes wrong I can hear.
Mariana: Okay.
Okay. Wish me luck.
It's always really tense when you're going undercover.
Just the fact that I know I'm recording them and they don't.
Hi. How are you doing? Male: Hi. Good.
Mariana: No matter how many times you do it,
it's just really nerve wracking. Do you have any AK-47s?
Male: We just have the one right there.
Mariana: Is this the only one you have?
Male: Yeah, that's it. Mariana: You have AR-15s still?
Male: We have a ton of ARs.
Mariana: How many do you have in total?
Male: Pretty much, um, these are all ARs.
Darren: Sounds good to me.
Sounds like she knows what she's talking about.
Male: Would you like to check out one of the ARs?
Mariana: Yeah, can I see one please?
Male: Yeah.
Mariana: Can you show me the cheapest one you have there?
Male: Yeah, the cheapest one we have is right here.
This one's $599.
Mariana: To get around background checks criminals will
often have someone with a clean record buy a gun for them.
It's called a straw purchase.
It's illegal, but it's also a common way for criminals to get
their hands on a gun. Let me just call.
Darren: Hey.
Mariana: I'm going to make it apparent that I'm attempting
a straw purchase by calling Darren and asking which guns
he wants me to buy for him.
Darren: Ask if you'd be able to order more AKs.
Mariana: Could I order more AKs?
Male: You could order an AK, yeah.
Mariana: Yeah? Male: Yeah.
Mariana: Yes. But I mean it's still almost $1000, it's $995,
while there's this really cool AR here that's less than $600.
Darren: Say, say you need five of them.
Mariana: Cool.
To buy five ARs, would you guys do a special price for that?
Male: We don't even have five of those.
Mariana: Okay. Male: We have four.
Mariana: Okay.
So I could buy the four right now and leave with them?
Male: Yeah, if you pass a background check.
Mariana: Right now, yeah.
And somebody else can come and pick them up?
Male: No.
Mariana: It'll have to be me? Okay.
Cool, thanks so much, guys. Thank you.
If you hear anything weird going on just come in.
Darren: Of course.
Mariana: Do you have any AK-47s here?
Male: Not right now. I have a bunch of them on order.
Mariana: How many can you order at a time?
Male: I can order as many as I want.
Mariana: So I can buy as many as I want?
Male: Technically you could, yeah.
Mariana: So I could come in here and order 20 AK-47s
and there would be no problem. Male: Yeah.
Mariana: Okay. That's good to know.
Technically there's no limit on how many guns a person
with a clean record can guy.
Still gun store employees are supposed to alert
law enforcement if they think something is suspicious.
Thanks guys.
Did you hear that?
Straw purchasers working for gun smugglers have been known
to buy multiple guns at a time.
At the next store we decide to push our luck.
Male: How you doing?
Mariana: Hi, how are you doing? Male: Not bad.
Mariana: Do you have AKs? AK-47?
Male: We've got some Yugoslavian ones,
and we've also got some Russian built rifles.
Mariana: Got it.
Let me just, uh, call since I don't know much about guns.
I'm going to see.
Darren: She's going to call me right now.
Hey, so how many does he have total? Yeah.
Ask him how many he has total. Mariana: 14 in total.
Darren: Could you buy, ask if you can buy all 14 today.
Mariana: He's asking if he could take all 14 today,
and we'll pay cash.
Male: Um, let me check with Bill.
Darren: He said something, but. Hey.
Mariana: Yeah.
Darren: So what's, what's happening?
Mariana: The guy is looking at me weird.
So far nothing has gone wrong, but those are the famous
last words, right?
Darren: Just don't linger around long.
If it looks like it's taking a long time, you know.
Mariana: Yeah. Darren: Okay bye.
I think that might have just been like way too over the top.
Mariana: Shoot.
Darren: Could you buy, ask if you could buy all 14 today.
Mariana: He's asking if he could just take all 14 today,
and we'll pay cash.
Male: Um, let me check with Bill.
Mariana: Okay.
We're playing the role of criminals trying to buy guns
at a gun store.
Darren: Hey. Mariana: Yeah.
Darren: So what's, what's happening?
Mariana: The guy is looking at me weird.
But my last request seems to have raised a red flag
with one of the employees.
Darren: Just don't linger around long.
If they, if it looks like it's taking a long time just,
you know. Mariana: Yeah.
Darren: Okay bye.
I think that might have just been like way too over the top.
Bill: So what's up? You want to buy all the AKs?
Mariana: Yeah. Bill: Why?
Mariana: My boyfriend does. Bill: Okay, for what?
Mariana: He just asked me if I could buy them.
Bill: Is he coming in to buy them or are you buying them?
Mariana: I would buy them.
Bill: You would be buying them. Mariana: Yeah.
Bill: Okay, um, I'm not real comfortable with that.
Mariana: Why not?
Bill: A straw purchase, you're not supposed to buy
for somebody else.
That's called a straw purchase legally.
Mariana: Got it.
Bill: 14 AKs is not just something you just shoot.
All the same, all the same. Mariana: Got it. Yeah.
Bill: He must be going to do something with them.
Mariana: Okay. I'll ask him.
Bill: Now if you know that he's not legal to buy it,
that's a felony on your part.
You'd be putting yourself at risk.
Mariana: Yeah, totally.
I completely understand. Thank you.
Bill: You got it!
I think asking for 14 AK-47s was definitely over the top.
So if I were to buy this, what would I need to do?
Male: I need an Arizona driver's license, uh,
with a current address.
Darren: Is there any way that you could get one without an ID?
You want to pick one up, you want one before
the weekend, right?
Male: I mean at the gun show you can pick one up as a private
sale, but I don't recommend it.
That gun hasn't been through a background check or anything.
You know, the guy could have stole it and then tried
to sell it at the show.
Mariana: Isn't that crazy though,
that they don't have to do a background check
and you guys do?
Male: Yeah. I don't like the way they do it.
I wish there was a way we could do background checks on people
that transfer guns.
But they don't. It's a loophole.
A lot of times it's criminals selling to criminals.
And you have no way to know what that gun's been responsible for.
Darren: Well, thank you very much.
Male: Sure, no problem.
Mariana: Yeah, that's all good info.
From the stores we visited it's pretty clear that if a straw
purchase is suspected the transaction will not go through.
A few even schooled me on the law.
But we also learned where we might have better luck getting
our hands on some guns.
The gun shows sound like a free for all.
And in Arizona there is one almost every weekend.
So we're going to hit up the next one to see how much
firepower we can walk away with.
To help us at the gun show we're calling on one of our local
contacts, private investigator and firearms expert Jesse Torrez
This is a beautiful gun.
Jesse: It's also a very expensive weapon.
This is not something that most people would own.
Mariana: Jesse is also a former police officer.
So he can help us identify the guns that would be
the most attractive to criminals.
Darren: Make sure you're all charged up.
Mariana: Okay. So it's all ready to go?
Darren: Yeah, don't turn them on yet.
Got a little button camera here, under my shirt.
Mariana: And Jesse will have the pen camera. Okay.
Yeah, ready? Darren: Let's do it.
Mariana: Among the many firearms we see for sale by
private sellers is a civilian variant of the M4 rifle platform
used by the US Navy Seals.
Darren: Are you selling it? Male: Yeah.
Darren: How much? Male: 22.
Mariana: And the FMP 90 which shoots a 5.7 mm round,
known affectionately by Mexican drug cartels as a matapolicia,
a cop killer, because it will cut through body armor
like butter. Darren: Thanks man, thanks.
Mariana: But at $2200 the FMP 90 is more than we have to spend
So we decide to stick to the game plan and look for something
smaller and more concealable.
Handguns are by far the most popular type of firearm used
in crimes in the US.
Jesse: What kind is that?
Seller: This is made in Czechoslovakia.
Jesse: How much are you asking for it?
Seller: Only $200.
Jesse: $200? Feels good? Mariana: Yeah. I like it.
Darren: What do you think? Jesse: Yeah, it's good.
Darren: Yeah.
Jesse: It's good. $200 is a good price for that gun.
Darren: We good? Seller: Good buy.
Mariana: Thank you. I got myself a, what is this?
Jesse: This is a CZ and they call it a nine millimeter short.
So he's giving us the ammo along with the magazines. $200.
Mariana: No questions asked.
Darren: Ready to rock and roll, baby.
Mariana: No IDs asked either.
So just like that we scored a handgun.
We're armed now, and finally making some headway.
Jesse: We have more to spend. Can I take a look?
Seller: It comes with four magazines,
200 of the UMC Remington bullets.
Mariana: A lot of the sellers seem to be unloading guns
because they need money in the bad economy.
Seller: It's $750 for this. I need the money.
Mariana: It's a buyer's market. 9 mm?
Seller: That's $340. You're not a criminal, are you?
Mariana: What's that?
Seller: I said, you're not a criminal, are you?
You got a driver's license on you?
Mariana: I don't. I left everything in the car.
Seller: No? I'll have to trust you.
Mariana: You have to trust me. My name is Sofia.
Sofia. I think we should get one more.
Darren: Yeah? Mariana: Yeah.
Darren: Okay. Jesse: Whoa, that's a big boy.
Seller: Yeah. Jesse: That is huge.
Seller: It's at a little boy's price.
Jesse: Well, how much you want for it?
Seller: $850. Jesse: $850?
Seller: $1300 gun with 20 rounds.
Darren: So this is the biggest handgun that they sell?
Seller: The largest caliber, yes sir. In production.
Darren: You could kill a polar bear.
Male: Oh my god. Oh my god. That's huge.
Honey, you'd hit your, you'd hit your head with that. Bam.
Even with two hands against a wall,
you'd still hit your head with that.
Jesse: You want it?
Seller: I'll knock ten bucks off it just because you're cute.
Jesse: That's it, you want it? Mariana: Yeah, you pay for it?
Jesse: Yeah. Early Christmas present. Thanks very much.
Seller: Thank you my friend, I appreciate it.
Mariana: Thank you. Seller: Enjoy.
Jesse: Thank you.
Seller: All right. Have a good one. Go pay that bill.
Jesse: Yep.
Mariana: No questions asked whatsoever.
Jesse: Yeah. No, I was going to ask you a question.
Mariana: Knowingly possessing a stolen gun is a felony.
So on our way out of the gun show we decide to ask a police
officer to run a check on all of our purchases.
Jesse: Do you ever think with all these guns going out here
I mean who's, you know, there's a lot of guns.
Officer: There's a Censored load of guns.
And most of them are private sales.
Mariana: And they don't actually know who they're selling to.
Officer: They don't know, but they don't care.
No, they don't care.
Mariana: 'Cause they could be selling to a criminal.
Officer: They don't care. They don't care.
You know, they just want to sell their gun.
They don't care who they sell it to.
Mariana: Thankfully our guns appear to be clean.
So we just got back from the gun show and this is what we got.
We got a CZ 380, a .40cal Springfield XD.
And finally, the most powerful handgun in the world.
It's a Smith and Wesson 500 Magnum.
So the crazy thing about all this is that you just go up
to them and buy whatever you wanted, no questions asked.
Organizer: Through this door there is a swinging no shoot
target. Try not to hit it.
Mariana: We spent the last two weeks in Arizona,
immersing ourselves in the world of guns.
Learning how to shoot, and how to arm ourselves.
Guns are a legal commodity.
Seller: It's $750 for this.
Mariana: Until they get into the hands of the wrong people,
and become illegal.
But you might be surprised where some of these guns are heading.
Wow. We're with the Mexican Military. Hola, buenos dias.
General: Buenos dias.
Mariana: And we've just landed on the turf of one
of the largest and most powerful criminal organizations
in the world. The Sinaloa cartel.
Over the last few years the drug war in Mexico has claimed
60,000 lives.
As criminal organizations like the Sinaloa cartel fight
a bloody battle for control of drug routes to the US.
Today the army is eradicating one of their marijuana fields.
He's explaining that all of these plantations are
geographically very well located because they are right next to
the main road that goes from the center of Mexico all the way up
to the United States.
But that road is a two way street.
General: These are the kinds of drugs that we typically
seize here.
Mariana: After showing us what's going up to the US,
the general took us back to the base to show us what's coming
down to Mexico.
General: This is the notorious. 223 caliber AR-15 rifle,
modified with a grenade launcher
Mariana: Before us are just some of the weapons that the
army has seized in the drug war.
Everything ranging from handguns.
Celebrating the 100 year anniversary of the NRA.
To assault weapons. I see Olympic arms.
And even .50 caliber rifles,
the bullet of which can generate steel.
In the United States all of these General, huh?
General: Si. La gran mayoria.
Mariana: The majority of the weapons seized come from the US,
the general says.
All of these belonged to the cartels?
General: All of them. All of them belonged to the cartels.
Mariana: In recent years the US has tightened border security
and made greater efforts to stop the flow of guns to Mexico.
You see they're searching a car right there.
This is the US-Mexico border crossing here in Nogales.
And obviously there is, you know,
a lot of officers controlling all the traffic that's coming
into the United States.
But just a couple of years ago they started putting a lot of
effort into southbound operations,
mainly looking for any weapons or cash going into Mexico.
Many of the guns seized at the border end up here.
The ATF gun vault is a testament to Arizona's unique place
in the gun trade.
It's filled with high powered rifles bought in the US
and seized on their way to Mexico. A machine gun.
It says, uh, type destructive device.
The reason why cartels shop for weapons in the US
is pretty clear.
Carlos: Mexican, uh, gun laws are extremely restrictive.
There's only one gun store in Mexico that's in Mexico City
at a military base.
If you want to buy a gun in Mexico you have to drive,
fly to that military base in Mexico City,
do all the paperwork.
Mariana: Or you drive for an hour,
come to the United States and buy a gun here.
Carlos: Or you call someone up here,
have them purchase their guns for you.
20 people, five guns per person. That's 100 guns.
You just armed two or three platoons of bad guys down
in Mexico.
Mariana: Wow. That's scary. Carlos: That's very scary.
Mariana: Despite the stepped up efforts to stop the flow of guns
to Mexico, smugglers are always finding new ways to move goods
across the border.
Joseph: Here we have a 2000 gallon water tank.
And below this water tank was a hole in the ground.
Uh, it's probably the most sophisticated tunnel found
in Arizona.
Mariana: The tunnel was found in this warehouse just a couple
of hundred yards from the official border crossing.
What do you think was the purpose of this tunnel?
Joseph: Drugs, money, guns going south.
I'm sure they had big plans for this tunnel.
Mariana: They are likely the Sinaloa cartel.
Once again, we find ourselves on their turf.
Oh wow. This is so deep.
And that's where we're going to go?
Joseph: That's where we're headed.
Mariana: Tunnels like this one have become increasingly common
along the border.
More than 70 have been discovered in the last
four years.
And no one knows how many more there might be.
They're getting ready, and, uh, Darren was just saying
that he was a little bit more nervous than I was.
Darren: How big is the space there?
Agent: Oh, it's about.
Darren: I don't like heights and it's 60 feet going down.
And I'm not a fan of tight spaces either.
So I'll be fine, once I get the camera in my hand because
then I can just focus on that. But until then.
Agent: Here's your first rung. Darren: All right.
Agent: And I got you, you're not going to fall.
Darren: Okay.
Agent: And you can go ahead and go a couple steps down.
Darren: Yeah. See you in Mexico.
Mariana: So it's 57 feet down.
And it has these improvised stairs that take you all
the way down, these rebar.
Darren: So we're in the tunnel, just waiting for Mariana
to come down.
Agent: Just go slow, take your time.
If you have any problems just look up and talk.
I can hear you.
Darren: You're doing great. Mariana: Thank you.
Agent: Okay, how are you doing, ma'am?
Mariana: I'm doing good, thank you.
Agent: Okay. We're good.
Mariana: It smells sort of mildewy.
It's really, really humid here.
This tube here is for ventilation.
It can toxic if there's not enough oxygen in here.
You can, people can die here.
So that's why they have this ventilation.
There's beams every foot.
Well built, that's a sophisticated tunnel.
This foam insulation right here that you see is basically
what's keeping us from being buried alive,
because there's very fine sand that this tunnel was dug out of.
The DEA estimates the tunnel cost about two million dollars
to build.
A tiny investment for a multibillion dollar crime
syndicate.
It's sort of narrow and tight in here,
but once this is set you can just see how easy it is to get
drugs up to the United States and guns and money down
to Mexico. Just an easy passageway.
Now that we know how guns get down to Mexico,
how easy would it be to buy one for a drug cartel?
The AK-47 is one of the most popular guns among
Mexican cartels.
Can we get our hands on one without leaving a trace
of who we are?
We decide to head over to Jesse's house for another
undercover.
So if I was interested in buying an AK-47,
which is a very popular gun in Mexico,
how soon do you think I could get my hands on one?
Jesse: We should be able to get you involved in a weapons
transaction within 30 minutes here.
Mariana: 30 minutes?
Jesse: And that's travel time too.
Using the internet it's very easy to purchase a weapon here
in Arizona.
What I'll do is just punch in the work AK-47 under keywords.
Mariana: Mm-hmm.
Jesse: And then we'll see what comes up.
Now this one has a photo.
Mariana: Call and ask for Nick. What do you think?
Jesse: Well, we can certainly do that.
Mariana: Yeah?
So you don't think he's going to ask for anything.
Jesse: No. He just wants the money.... Yeah.
You mention $750, he's on that.
Mariana: Wow, this is just crazy. Okay. So.
Jesse: We're good to go. Mariana: We're good to go.
Nick: This is Nick. Mariana: Hi Nick.
I'm calling about the ad on Backpage.
Is it still for sale? Nick: Yeah, it is, yeah.
Mariana: Okay. That's good. Um, I have, um, 750 in cash.
Would you agree to that? Nick: Yeah, I could do that.
Mariana: Yeah? Do you, can we meet now?
Nick: Yeah, at Taco Bell.
Mariana: At Taco Bell on Censored.
Yeah. Cool, thanks so much. See you in a bit, Nick.
So Jesse, so you just changed your shirt.
Jesse: Well, this shirt is a little bit larger than the one
I was wearing before.
And I have a weapon, so it doesn't show what's called
printing of the weapon. Mariana: Mm-hmm.
Jesse: So he won't know that I'm armed.
Mariana: Are these transactions safe?
Jesse: They have become less safe.
Some people have gotten ripped off while they're making
the transaction, either for the weapon or for the money.
Even for $650 or $700, people will kill you for that.
Mariana: Mm-hmm.
Darren: So right now we're following Jesse and Mariana.
We're right behind their car.
I'm nervous because, uh, these things turn into robberies.
You never know who you're buying from online.
And, um, the fact that, you know,
you're going there and you know there's going to be, uh,
an assault rifle.
Looks like they're getting off.
We should be the proud owners of an AK-47 in about half hour.
Make sure it's hidden real well.
Mariana: So we're getting all wired and geared up.
I have my glasses on, they're already recording.
Jesse: If anything goes wrong and we have a GSW,
gunshot wound. Mariana: GSW?
Jesse: Right. That's a gunshot wound.
Mariana: Darren you'll call 911. Let's do it.
We found a guy online who's trying to sell an AK-47.
Now I'm in a position I never thought I'd be in.
Heading to a fast food parking lot to make a cash deal for
an assault rifle.
Jesse: Gold Dodge Neon. Mariana: Gold Dodge Neon.
Jesse: There's a gold Dodge.
Mariana: No, it's an older man. Shall I call?
Jesse: Yeah. Mariana: Hey, we're here.
I didn't see the, the Dodge, but, okay bye.
Pulling in in two minutes. Darren: This was a bad idea.
Jesse: If I don't feel good about this I'll take off, okay?
Mariana: Okay, definitely. Jesse: All right.
And are you going to use your, your name?
Hi, I'm Mariana? Mariana: No.
Jesse: Okay, what are you going to say?
Mariana: Sofia. Jesse: That's fine. Sofia.
So but you know, I'll be watching for somebody
to rip us off. And, and, uh, we'll see.
Mariana: It's really scary waiting for someone to pull up
who you know has an AK-47.
Situations like these can turn ugly because you're meeting
someone you don't know and there's a large sum of money
involved.
This guy? Jesse: Yep.
Mariana: Try and get to the right side of the car
if you can, so they can see us. Jesse: Okay.
How are you doing, man?
Mariana: Hi. Jesse: Hi, how you doing?
Mariana: Hi. Hi.
Nick: If you want to take a look at it you can.
Jesse: Thank you. This is good to go for me. $750?
Nick: Yep. Jesse: All right.
Nick: Yeah, I have a bunch of AR-15s.
Mariana: And are those for sale as well?
Nick: Yeah. Here's an AR-15.
Jesse: Oh, so it's a full size one.
Nick: That one is, but this one isn't.
Jesse: Why don't you feel and see how this one feels to you.
'Cause it's a little shorter, a little lighter,
a little bit more maneuverable.
Nick: Also it's got a laser mounted on it too,
and a flashlight. Oh that's great.
Jesse: You know, if you don't mind I'm going to think about
this one a little bit.
All right thanks guys, I really appreciate it.
Nick: No problem. Jesse: Talk to you later.
Mariana: We could have left with three rifles today if we wanted.
Jesse: As I told you we could have,
we'd have had three rifles in less than an hour,
all of which are the military style weapon.
Mariana: So this is what we just bought.
Here's our AK-47.
According to Jesse ready to shoot, right?
Jesse: You're all ready to go.
Mariana: It came with a few rounds of ammunition.
Jesse: Um, this is a typical Russian round.
It'll penetrate all body armor except for level three body
armor and above.
Mariana: And all in the time that it takes to order a pizza.
If you lived closer we could have done this in five,
ten minutes.
Jesse: Right. We could have ended up with three rifles,
uh, today, which is a multi gun sale.
They were all brand new, and he wouldn't have had a trace
of who I was.
Mariana: So how many of these transactions do you think happen
every day?
Jesse: Every day, all day long. Mariana: Mm-hmm.
Jesse: Do you want me to call the guy with the .50 now?
Mariana: Yeah, do it.
If it's that easy to buy an AK-47 from a fast food parking
lot, we need to aim even bigger. We're going to try and buy
a .50 caliber sniper rifle.
A weapon so powerful that the US Military uses it to penetrate
concrete walls and pierce steel.
It's a gun that could do an unthinkable amount of damage
if it fell into the wrong hands.
Jesse: So from here it should be about three to five minutes
to his house.
Mariana: We found someone who claims to be selling one
in just a couple minutes online. White cargo van?
Jesse: A cargo van should be like solid windows. There it is.
Mariana: There it is.
Jesse:How are you guys doing?
Thank you so much for meeting me.
Mike: I'm Mike. Jesse: Mike, I'm Jesse.
Mike: I'm his brother. Mariana: Hi, how are you?
Mike: Come on in out of the rain, yeah, please.
Darren: There's a thunder storm here that just started
coming down.
So it looks like they're meeting in the garage.
Censored I can't see anything from here.
Jesse: How are you guys doing?
Thank you so much for meeting me.
Mike: I'm Mike, I'm his brother.
Jesse: Mike, I'm Jesse. Nice to meet you.
Mariana: Hi, how are you?
Mike: Come on in out of the rain, yeah, please.
Darren: Censored
Mike: This could literally penetrate steel.
In Iraq they told the snipers, don't waste one round
on one person.
Even if he's standing behind a brick wall.
Usually they'll have two, three guys lined up, then they shoot.
'Cause it would go through the brick wall,
and all three of them. Mariana: Scary.
Mike: This round right here is $15 a piece to fire this gun.
You're getting 11 boxes with 12 rounds a piece.
So you have a lot of firepower to start your own war.
Mariana: What did you say?
Mike: You have enough rounds to start your own war.
Jesse: Thank you so much, I appreciate it.
Mariana: Whoa, look at this.
Jesse: .50 cal.
Definitely not a lot of people have these weapons.
Mariana: By far one of the most powerful weapons out there.
Jesse: Absolutely.
Mariana: That shoots the highest caliber. So.
Jesse: Absolutely. The. .50 BMG is definitely,
uh, the top of the line.
Mariana: You are ready for war, he said.
So it's, it's a war gun.
Jesse: It's a war gun.
All you need is a finger to pull the trigger.
Mariana: So it's our last day in Arizona and we brought the AK-47
that we bought online the other day.
And we'll be shooting it out here in the desert.
The AK-47 is the most abundant weapon on battlefields across
the world.
I've seen it in conflicts from Africa to the Middle East.
Jesse: Okay, we're going to load the magazine into the weapon.
Mariana: We bought our own in a Taco Bell parking lot.
Jesse: Back the slide back, so you're going to grab this handle
and pull back.
Mariana: And now I'm getting a chance to fire it myself.
Jesse: You're going to lean forward slightly,
you're going to exhale, and then pull the trigger.
Gunshot
Mariana: Oh my god.
Darren: Holy crap. That Censored scared me.
Jesse: Why did it scare you? Mariana: That was so powerful.
Jesse: You listened to everything I said.
It was a very good shot.
.50 caliber.
Mariana: The power of the AK-47 is undeniable.
But my adrenaline really starts pumping when Jesse pulls out
the .50 cal. Jesse: It's all set to go.
Mariana: Is this going to be a lot of recoil?
Jesse: Yes it will be recoil.
Now you're going to push this forward with your right hand.
Now lock it down.
Okay, and then just pull the trigger.
Gunshots. Mariana: Whoa! Oh my god.
Every single organ inside you moves with that shot.
You really feel it is. Jesse: Very powerful.
Mariana: What happened to the target?
Jesse: Well, let's go see if you put a hole in it.
See the size of this hole compared to this one?
Mariana: Yeah. That's a .50 caliber.
Jesse: That's a .50 caliber.
Mariana: So what's the difference in damage
that this compared to this does to a person?
Jesse: You probably wouldn't see the top half of this person.
When people get hit with a .50 caliber in Afghanistan,
they literally explode.
You can see just huge sprays of red.
Mariana: Yeah, it's just crazy, the size of this hole.
And the idea that you wouldn't be able to see the top half
of this person.
Jesse: All weapons can be used to, uh, to do exactly this.
It all depends on the person behind the trigger.
Mariana: I learned a lot in Arizona.
How to properly handle a firearm,
and to enjoy competitive shooting.
Jesse: I was very proud of you.
Mariana: I met many here, including my new pal Jesse,
who take personal protection and the sport of shooting seriously.
People who love collecting guns and hold fast to the second
amendment.
But I also learned that ensuring that right comes
with a tradeoff.
Male: Man that's how tight you put them on me, dog. Ow!
Mariana: The laws that make it easy for responsible citizens
to own powerful weapons, also make it easy for those same guns
to end up in the wrong hands.
Within a couple of hours we now own two of the most dangerous
weapons in the world. I am just a journalist.
But if I really was a criminal, and decided to use
these weapons, the one question everyone would be left asking is
how did she get all those guns?