Garen Wintemute estimatesthat as many as 40,000 straw sales were attempted annually, but he has no data on how many of those attempts actually result in a gun moving from an FFL’s inventory into illegal hands.
Let’s play devil’s advocate for a minute and pretend that all of those 40,000 attempted straw sales go through. Sounds like a lot of guns going into the wrong hands, doesn’t it? In fact, it’s a pittance compared to the way in which most guns in this country wind up in the wrong hands, and I don’t notice anyone talking about that issue at all.
Back in 1994, Philip Cook and Jens Ludwig published the most comprehensive survey on gun ownership that I have ever seen. Now if the Nobel Prize Committee decided to give an award for gun research, it would have to go to Phil Cook. He not only practically invented the entire field of gun violence research, but his work, then and now, is impeccable and should be accepted without question as the best of breed.
And what did he learn about how guns get into the wrong hands? He learned that perhaps as many as 600,000 guns were stolen every year, this at a time when the total number of guns owned by Americans was 50% less than it is now! Are you telling me that we can have a substantive conversation about reducing gun violence without asking how to prevent the theft of guns? Gun theft isn’t the elephant in the GVP living room, it’s the whole house.
For some reason Mike, the not so gun guy makes no mention of the thriving industry of items to secure firearms. You can even go to the evil NRA's online store to buy such things,
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nrastore.com/gear/gun-cases/nra-inprinttm-biometric-security-safe
As for responsible practices by gun dealers, he also seemed to leave out programs supported by the gun industry,
http://www.dontlie.org/
Not a very thorough gun guy at all....
If the availability of those products were enough, there wouldn't be half-a-million guns being stolen each year. Safe storage in the home needs to be mandatory. For me this is right up there with universal background checks.
DeleteHey, I know! Lets make theft illegal! Of anything! Or more illegal-er.
ReplyDeleteAnything that can be used in a crime, to harm others, is stolen every day. Why pick on just guns. Guns are someone's property. So is a car, credit cards, cash, tools and anything else that has been stolen. Most of which can be used to harm the people that owned what was stolen or others with the stolen property. Guns should not be singled out but should be counted with the rest of stolen property.
And don't tell me that its the gun that does the most harm as that's a lie. Its the person. That person can inflict harm with anything not just the gun.
We "pick" on guns because they are (by far) the weapon of choice for murder, assault, theft, and other crimes. A fact you gun loons refuse to accept and even lie about.
DeleteAnon, your entitled to your own opinion, but not your own facts.
DeleteI suggest we pass a law making it illegal to steal a gun. Problem solved. Ok - maybe add a background check to the system somewhere as well.
ReplyDeleteTo whom is the "I told you so" directed? Is it gun control advocates who bleat on about "gun show loopholes" and "internet sales" as a major source of crime guns and how if we made private sales a crime, criminals will soon be wanting for guns? Because I haven't heard many gun rights people argue that gun thefts don't happen or are rare. In fact it is often brought up as an argument for why your crime creation bills passed off as "background checks" won't do squat to stem "gun flow".
ReplyDeleteI think you know the answer, Mr. Tedious S, but I'll humor you. The "I told you so" is directed to all those who doubted that stolen guns from the homes of you gun owners is a major source of guns ending up in criminal hands. I've been saying it for years and calling for mandatory safe storage in the home.
DeleteBut if stealing guns were illegal, then why would the method of storing guns matter? Why would it matter if not safely storing a gun was illegal if stealing being illegal does not stop theft? You seem to think making some things illegal would somehow magically stop other illegal activities that still take place regardless of their legality. So instead of doing anything to prevent gun crimes you instead make a criminal out of a victim and feel good about doing something to prevent gun crimes?
DeleteOn the contrary, Jim. I don't think making it illegal will prevent most criminals from doing it. I do, on the other hand believe, that locking up your guns in a safe will thwart most thieves. It should be mandatory.
DeleteIt should be mandatory.
DeleteIt won't be, punk. Ever Get used to it, loser.