Report: South a Big Exporter of Guns Used in Crime

[gmark340]

http://www.newsmax.com/us/illegal_guns/2008/12/05/158848.html

Who knows whether these numbers are any good or whether this is more lies with statistics from this unbiased, totally objective group of mayors? Regardless, it is sure to be used by them as more evidence for the new regime that there should be more controls and restrictions, national if necessary.

At the very least, I have yet to see an unaccompanied gun taking a Greyhound bus north. Perhaps people are to blame, regardless of the law or the jurisdiction?

I haven't cut and pasted the article here because I was uncertain that I could, in light of its copyright.

 

[MagnumDweeb]

Well to protect the north, mostly Chicago, New York City, Detroit, D.C. the usual places full of densely populated poverty populations with inept, corrupt, Un-American politicians, we should build walls around those cities that suffer the most, don't let anyone in or out without a permit. Let's not close down the 'housing projects', let's not take the money wasted in Section 8 support, food stamps, and health-care, so we can create jobs to fill desperately needed nursing, teacher, and other roles, with a "you want to eat, then you better work" mentality. Let's not try to cure the problems that cause violence, that happens to be carried out by guns, let's blame and try to persecute those who use guns legally everyday. Let's not come to a reality that more than 85% of all murderers belong to an isloated singular demographic that does not posses or utilize American ideals.

Why do anything productive, realistic or American, Fascist idiocy is on the menu folks, straight from the fields where bulls roams, you all best swallow up you hear. We're the government, we know what we are doing and know what's best for you even though we seem to be destroying this country.

 

[divemedic]

The article says that the states mentioned are a large source of trace guns. Those guns can be traced for any number of reasons. It does not always mean the gun was used to commit a crime.

 

[Bubba613]

Actually the article said these were guns used in crimes.

But anyway, there are more guns in circulation in those states. Ergo there will be more guns stolen in those states. Ergo those guns will migrate to states where the demand for illegal guns is highest.
I guess the statistics are true. But so what?
Curiously Tennessee was not on the list and we have some of the most open laws in the country.

 

[ServiceSoon]

It's not about the guns.

 

[subknave]

The gun trace data is available on the ATF website.

What struck me was that most of the "crimes" were under the catagory if "possession" and most of the guns traced had been purchased over a year earlier than the "crime". The article tries to make it sound like people are running guns back and forth but that is definitely not the case. I would guess that some of those were from people who moved to chicago or new york and just never registered their guns through ignorance or complacency and then were caught. I think the telling statistic from the ATF is the length of time between purchase and trace. That alone puts the lie to people buying guns for transport to these other cities. It also is kind of ironic that most of this is caused by the "crime" caused by mere possesion of a firearm in that city/state. If you want to raise your crime rates what better way than to make it a crime to do something a lot of people do, like own a gun.

 

[divemedic]

Actually the article said these were guns used in crimes.

A distortion. From the ATF:

Firearm traces are designed to help law enforcement authorities in conducting investigations by tracking the sale and possession of specific firearms. Law enforcement agencies may request firearms traces for any reason, and those reasons are not necessarily reported to the Federal Government. Not all firearms used in crimes are traced, and not all firearms traced are used in crime.

So you can obviously see the error in the analysis of trace data: In states with more strict gun laws, a police department is more likely to conduct a trace than an agency that is in a state with more lax gun laws, for the simple reason that there are fewer acts involving firearms that are considered crimes. Furthermore, the statistics are skewed because not all states routinely use traces.

Of the 17,000 traces done by firearms by agencies in the state of Florida in 2007:

The reasons given for the trace include:

1 Possession 3350
2 Found firearm 1946
3 Drug related 1852
4 Health and Safety 1509
5 No reason given 1281
6 Aggravated assault 896
7 Homicide 864

The average time to crime for traced weapons? 9.85 years

Look up your own state's report here.

For traces conducted by agencies in New York, more than half the traces were conducted for possession. The number one source of crime guns in New York was dealers in New York.

In Illinois, the number one source of traced weapons was Illinois. In Illinois, the number one "crime" for which the trace was conducted? "Firearm under investigation."

Want some insight? Look up DC's report.

The article and the MAG report are distortions, just like most anti-gunner propaganda.