They're still throwing that 90% number around.

From Foxnews via the AP

It seems as though the quantity of cash and guns seized at the U.S.-Mexican border is up. I don't doubt that. Hell, I don't doubt that gun-running into Mexico is a lucrative business.

But here's a useless statistic from the story:

Mexico asked U.S. authorities to trace 12,073 firearms last year, up from only 2,906 in 2007 and 2,654 in 2006, according to the ATF. Of those successfully traced, the firearms bureau said about 90 percent came from the United States.

No shit? Really? You mean that, according to the United States Department of Justice's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, 90% of the firearms in question for which they have a record and were able to trace came from (or at some time were part of an FFL-recorded transaction in) the United States?

90%? 90% of what number?

From the U.S. State Department's eTrace fact sheet...

Firearms tracing is the systematic tracking of the movement of a firearm recovered by law enforcement officials from its creation by the manufacturer or its introduction into U.S. commerce by the importer through the distribution chain to the first retail purchase.

How about answering these questions: Of the 12073 firearms Mexico asked us to trace...

How many had identifiable serial numbers that would theoretically be traceable?

Of those, how many were the ATF able to trace to the U.S. as the country of origin (as in either manufactured in the U.S. or imported into the U.S. from the manufacturer directly to FFL dealer, wholesaler, etc.)?

Of the remaining ones (presumably those for which the ATF had no record), how many were identified by the manufacturer as being first shipped to a non-U.S. dealer?

In addition to the 12073 firearms they asked us to trace, how many others were seized for which an ATF trace was not requested.

If Mexico seized 12073 firearms and asked the ATF to trace all 12073 of them, and if the ATF got a hit on 10000 of them and turned out that 90% of those (9000) were involved in U.S. commerce at some point, well that's one story.

But if the ATF got a hit on 500 of the 12000+ firearms and 90% of those (450) had U.S. ties, well, that paints a whole different picture.