I thought there was only one gun store in Mexico and it was in Mexico City and generally Mexicans aren’t allowed to own guns?
So, how does any gun not smuggled in gain popularity?
A few things to cover here...
1st - There is only one gun store in Mexico, and .38 Super is NOT legal in Mexico. Only handgun cartridges that are legal are .22, .38 Special, and .380 ACP.++
2nd - There's a HUGE market in Mexico for contraband 1911's and .38 Super is very popular.
3rd - Mexicans can own rifles, shotguns, and handguns. It's not an easy process...but it's getting easier, and they sell a good deal of guns legally and illegally south of the border.
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The Mexican .38 Super story.
I don't know when the law was created, but it's been in place for as long as I can remember... But at some point in the 20th century (I'm guessing '50's or '60's), Mexico outlawed any military cartridges. They changed the law to state that only .22 or .38 caliber handguns can be owned. Well, the .38 Super is a ".38", and it's not a military cartridge, so .38 Super's went south by the truckloads. At some point, Mexico clarified the law (I'm guessing sometime in the late '80's), and Supers were no longer legal. They clarified the law to specifically state .22LR, .38 S&W Special, and .380 ACP.
Now I don't know for certain (as in, I have never actually seen it in the law), but I believe all previously purchased Supers were grandfathered. The reason I think this is twofold... 1 - You still see a LOT of 1911's in Mexico. 2 - If all Super's were actually banned, you would have seen thousands of .38 Special conversion kits heading south and that never happened.
