I realize that's not a very solid statistic, but it seems things are improving there in a state with good gun laws, compared to what's happening in Austin Texas this year.This year, police have confiscated over 200 guns. The majority of them are tied to a criminal investigation and the rest—about two dozen—were either found or taken for safekeeping. Police confiscated 476 guns in 2009, more than a gun a day..
I don't think they intended it to be, but I find that a chilling statement. It means that the country is becoming so saturated with weapons that even in California, they are flowing into the criminal world from multiple sources.Police were hoping to find a pattern so they could disrupt any possible gun-trafficking rings in the city. “We kind of suspected that guns were coming from gun shows in Reno or Arizona, or from states that have lax gun laws—guys driving out there and bringing back carloads of guns.”
But those ATF resources revealed there was no pattern. “Most of the guns come from all over the place and they’ve been out there in circulation for three years and beyond.”
The gun crowd seems to be saying that there's nothing we can do about this, that if gun control laws haven't worked in places like California, then they cannot work, period. I disagree wholeheartedly. Much stricter gun laws are required, laws that will inconvenience legitimate gun owners for the greater good.
What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.
Here's the money quote:
ReplyDelete"'We know that these guys have a harder time getting a gun than you suspect,' he said. 'And they pass guns around a lot.'"
It's not that easy to get a gun in California. It's hard to steal them when over 1/2 of the households don't own them. It's hard to buy them on the streets when gun sales have to go through an FFL.
A lot of the gangs treat their guns like some sort of "lending library" where people check out guns to commit crimes then return the gun so someone else can use it.
It's a lot different from what those pro-gunners in the "free gun" states believe.
MikeB: “I realize that's not a very solid statistic, but it seems things are improving there in a state with good gun laws…”
ReplyDeleteThis is the number two murder city in the country, Mike.
MikeB: “It means that the country is becoming so saturated with weapons that even in California, they are flowing into the criminal world from multiple sources.”
“Becoming”? Criminals have always had easy access to guns- EVEN in California.
The cost of illegal guns can vary. Depending on the relationship between buyer and seller, semi-automatic pistols—like the Glock—have a street value of $300 to $500, said Lt. Threets. A more sophisticated weapon—like an AK-47—might sell for $1,200.
There is that “sophisticated” word again. What do they mean by that? And who would call an AK more “sophisticated” than a synthetic polymer frame handgun designed 35 years later? Second, Threets’ comments make the gunrunning business very unattractive. So you spend the time and resources to travel to Reno to buy a bunch of guns, bring them back into CA risking a felony conviction, only to sell them for a couple hundred bucks less than you paid. That is not a very good business model.