FL-- Gun Law Poll and story

[Chipperman]

cut-and-paste-http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/sfl-poll061208,0,5620167,post.poll

Florida No. 2 in nation for exporting guns used in crime
By Megan O'Matz | South Florida Sun-Sentinel
June 12, 2008
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Digg Del.icio.us Facebook Fark Google Newsvine Reddit Yahoo Print Reprints Post comment Text size: Florida, perhaps best known for exporting oranges, is now No. 2 nationwide for shipping out another commodity: guns.

The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence said Wednesday that Florida supplied more guns used in crimes outside its borders last year than every other state but Georgia.

About 2,328 guns used in crimes nationwide in 2007 were traced back to dealers in Florida.

Texas, where side arms are as popular as pork rinds, ranked third.


"Illegal guns generally flow from states with weak gun laws to states with stronger gun laws," the Brady Center said in releasing the state-by-state comparison.

The Washington gun-control group based its assessment on gun trace data released by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

A National Rifle Association spokeswoman said she had not seen the study and could not comment.

The transportation of guns along Interstate 95 from the southern to northeastern states with stricter regulations, such as New Jersey, Massachusetts and New York, is referred to as the "iron pipeline."

The Brady Center analysis found that one-fifth of all guns used in crimes across state lines came from Georgia, Florida or Texas.

"Apparently, it's telling us our gun laws aren't strict enough," said Gerry Boren, manager of Gun Barrel City, Texas. (City motto: We Shoot Straight with You. "It means we're gonna tell you the truth," Boren said.)

The number of guns actually trafficked from Georgia, Florida and Texas is likely to be even higher than the ATF reported, according to the Brady Center. Not all weapons used in crimes are recovered or are successfully traced back to gun shops.

States with the fewest guns linked to crimes outside their limits were New Jersey with 35, Rhode Island with 12, and Hawaii.

"Hawaii had zero crime guns exported," said Brady Center Senior Attorney Daniel R. Vice, an author of the study. The lesson: "We need to border ourselves with an ocean," said Texas' Boren.

At number two, Florida (long nicknamed the Gunshine State for its favorable firearms climate) had moved up the chart. In 2006, the state ranked fourth.

Next year, will Florida be first?

"It gives you something to shoot for," said Brady spokesman Peter Hamm.

Megan O'Matz can be reached at [email protected] or 954-356-4518.

More articles

Hit the poll!

 

[Henry Bowman]

Reads like Megan O'Matz just added her byline to a Brady Bunch press release.

ETA: Here is the Brady press release:

Georgia, Florida and Texas
Top Crime Gun Suppliers;
Hawaii, Rhode Island, New Jersey
Supply Fewest Crime Guns

For Immediate Release:
06-11-2008

Contact Communications:
(202) 289-7319


Washington, D.C. - Georgia, Florida and Texas are the top suppliers of crime guns to other states, according to crime gun trace data recently released by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) and analyzed by the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence.

Illegal guns generally flow from states with weak gun laws to states with stronger gun laws. In states with strong gun laws, criminals find it more difficult to obtain guns from local sources and frequently must obtain guns from traffickers supplied by out-of-state gun dealers. This fuels the “iron pipeline” described in past Federal law enforcement reports.

Georgia ranked number one in the nation in the total number of crime guns traced to Georgia gun dealers and recovered in other states in 2007, with 2,631 crime guns traced to Georgia and recovered outside the state last year. Florida ranked number two in 2007, with 2,328 crime guns traced to Florida dealers and recovered in crime in other states. Texas ranked number three, with 2,281 crime guns traced to Texas dealers and recovered in crime in other states.

According to the ATF data, these three states alone accounted for one-fifth of all crime guns trafficked across state lines and recovered and traced by law enforcement in 2007. Additionally, the number of illegal firearms originating from these states is likely much higher, as these numbers represent only firearms recovered by law enforcement and successfully traced to a retail gun dealer. Crime gun traces generally cannot be completed if gun dealers fail to properly maintain firearm sales information or if firearm serial numbers are destroyed.

Gun dealers in Georgia, Florida and Texas were also major suppliers of the illegal gun market within each state. Texas gun dealers supplied more than 80% of illegal firearms traced and recovered in Texas in 2007. Florida gun dealers supplied 78% of illegal firearms traced and recovered in Florida in 2007. Georgia gun dealers supplied more than 75% of illegal firearms traced and recovered in Georgia in 2007.

States with strong gun laws generally supply fewer illegal guns to the criminal market while receiving more of their crime guns from states with weak gun laws. In 2007, ATF reported only 35 firearms recovered in crime outside New Jersey and traced to a New Jersey gun dealer. At the same time, 72% of crime guns recovered and traced in New Jersey in 2007 originated from gun dealers outside the state.

Also in 2007, ATF reported only 12 firearms recovered in crime outside Rhode Island and traced to a Rhode Island gun dealer. Nearly half of the crime guns traced and recovered in Rhode Island last year originated from gun dealers outside the state. ATF also reported no firearms originating from Hawaii and recovered in crime in other states in 2007. At the same time, 55% of crime guns recovered in Hawaii in 2007 were traced to gun dealers outside the state.

“Communities around the nation are paying a price for weak gun laws in a few states that fuel interstate gun trafficking,” said Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence President Paul Helmke. “These data patterns show why we need to pass common sense gun measures that make it harder for dangerous people to access dangerous weapons.”

Crime guns and gun deaths by the numbers

Rank of states with most and least crime guns traced to in-state gun dealers and recovered in other states, and total number of crime guns traced to in-state gun dealers and recovered in other states, in 2007:

Georgia - #1 - 2,631 crime guns
Florida - #2 - 2,328 crime guns
Texas - #3 - 2,281 crime guns

New Jersey - #48 - 35 crime guns
Rhode Island - #49 - 12 crime guns
Hawaii - #50 - 0 crime guns

Percent of 2007 crime guns recovered in-state sold by in-state gun dealers:

Georgia - 75.8%
Florida - 78.2%
Texas - 80.7%

Percent of 2007 crime guns recovered in-state sold by out-of-state gun dealers:

New Jersey - 72.1%
Rhode Island - 46.1%
Hawaii - 54.7%

Gun death rate, per 100,000 population:

Georgia - 11.7 gun deaths
Florida - 10.3 gun deaths
Texas - 10.9 gun deaths

New Jersey - 5.0 gun deaths
Rhode Island - 3.6 gun deaths
Hawaii - 2.2 gun deaths

ATF officials released a broad general set of crime gun trace data on the agency’s website on May 9. That data is available at www.atf.gov/firearms/trace_data/index2007.htm.

# # #


The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence is a national non-profit organization working to reduce the tragic toll of gun violence in America, through education, research, and legal advocacy. The programs of the Brady Center complement the legislative and grassroots mobilization of its sister organization, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence with its dedicated network of Million Mom March Chapters.

 

[camacho]

The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence said Wednesday that Florida supplied more guns used in crimes outside its borders last year than every other state but Georgia.

The Brady Center certainly a very objective and impartial source

 

[divemedic]

Even the ATF is refuting that Brady press release.

 

[benEzra]

Even the ATF is refuting that Brady press release.

Link? I'd love to see that.

 

[divemedic]

Here is the link.

But ATF and gun proponents found flaws in the Brady Center's calculations.

ATF supervisor Todd Reichert in Washington noted that the agency's data included some gun sales that were originally made as much as 10 years ago, which is much longer than the two-year "time to crime" ATF considers an indicator of a possible illegal gun sale.

Reichert also said not all law enforcement agencies report recovered crime guns for tracing. And, he said, spikes in the numbers come after ATF help police agencies clear backlogs as those departments begin reporting recovered crime guns to the federal agency.

 

[Sebastian the Ibis]

The gunshine state

I like that, I'm going to steal that.... like he's trying to steal my constitutional rights

 

[k_dawg]

in other news..

Megan said that she'ld rather be brutually raped.. with her vagina ripped to raw hamburger.. than for her to have the audacity to defend herself with a firearm.