By David Petlansky
A friend of mine called me a little while ago, and like usual, the reason for and content of the call was to discuss our theories on current events.
Jeff, my friend, brought the topic to the table on this conversation.
"So I'm sitting in my car after I got gas and I thought that I'd maybe pick up some ammo and go to the range. Maybe call Cabelas to see if they have any in stock. Then I started wondering, with all of the ammo and guns that these stores sell, they must know they have some part in the process of at least some violent crimes. That lead me to the next question I thought of...I have not seen any statistics or coverage on where guns that are used in crimes are coming from. Are they coming from stores? Gun shows? Where are the statistics at for that."
I told him how excited I was to look into this because I listen to the news on the radio and frequently check news sites and I have not seen anything about these numbers which made me really curious about what they are and why they have been so weakly reported on, if at all. Of course, our conversation sprung into many other directions, all partially related in some way to the gun debate. Discussions about other causes such as prescription medications getting off the hook in the blame game and how the violent trend in society seems to be spreading like a contagious virus. Jeff discussed a more universal perspective about influences coming from everywhere, and everyone reacting differently to different situations, how it could simply boil down to people just not being right in the head. While I'd love to hit on all that, right now, I am very interested in seeing what's out there when it comes to...the origins of "evil."
First. I Google "statistics gun origin" and got a 1995 government website about random gun statistics covering all angles but the one I'm looking for. I could get lost in wondering how a website, last updated in 1995, was the first Google hit, but there's no time for that. So, I Google "Guns used crime statistics" to see if I can find something in that rubble.
PBS.org (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/guns/procon/guns.html) doesn't hit the nail on the head but they are in the right area. According to the article, gun thefts are at the bottom of the list for the origins of guns used in violent crimes. First on the list is people legally buying the firearm for someone else who, for multiple different reasons, would not be able to purchase it on their own. So, knowing that most guns used in crimes are not stolen, but in fact, legally purchased from somewhere for illegal means, I am getting the feeling that we are on the right track.
And Holy shit! I remember when I used to go snake hunting with my dad, we would turn over hundreds of rocks, looking for snakes. It would be so exciting when you finally turned one that had a snake underneath. We'd go splashing through the creek after it, hollering and laughing, slipping on the rocks. Well, after simply Googling "Can guns be traced to dealer?" (I know, why the hell didn't I try that first?) I found my snake under the rock at The Washington Post.
A friend of mine called me a little while ago, and like usual, the reason for and content of the call was to discuss our theories on current events.
Jeff, my friend, brought the topic to the table on this conversation.
"So I'm sitting in my car after I got gas and I thought that I'd maybe pick up some ammo and go to the range. Maybe call Cabelas to see if they have any in stock. Then I started wondering, with all of the ammo and guns that these stores sell, they must know they have some part in the process of at least some violent crimes. That lead me to the next question I thought of...I have not seen any statistics or coverage on where guns that are used in crimes are coming from. Are they coming from stores? Gun shows? Where are the statistics at for that."
I told him how excited I was to look into this because I listen to the news on the radio and frequently check news sites and I have not seen anything about these numbers which made me really curious about what they are and why they have been so weakly reported on, if at all. Of course, our conversation sprung into many other directions, all partially related in some way to the gun debate. Discussions about other causes such as prescription medications getting off the hook in the blame game and how the violent trend in society seems to be spreading like a contagious virus. Jeff discussed a more universal perspective about influences coming from everywhere, and everyone reacting differently to different situations, how it could simply boil down to people just not being right in the head. While I'd love to hit on all that, right now, I am very interested in seeing what's out there when it comes to...the origins of "evil."
First. I Google "statistics gun origin" and got a 1995 government website about random gun statistics covering all angles but the one I'm looking for. I could get lost in wondering how a website, last updated in 1995, was the first Google hit, but there's no time for that. So, I Google "Guns used crime statistics" to see if I can find something in that rubble.
PBS.org (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/guns/procon/guns.html) doesn't hit the nail on the head but they are in the right area. According to the article, gun thefts are at the bottom of the list for the origins of guns used in violent crimes. First on the list is people legally buying the firearm for someone else who, for multiple different reasons, would not be able to purchase it on their own. So, knowing that most guns used in crimes are not stolen, but in fact, legally purchased from somewhere for illegal means, I am getting the feeling that we are on the right track.
And Holy shit! I remember when I used to go snake hunting with my dad, we would turn over hundreds of rocks, looking for snakes. It would be so exciting when you finally turned one that had a snake underneath. We'd go splashing through the creek after it, hollering and laughing, slipping on the rocks. Well, after simply Googling "Can guns be traced to dealer?" (I know, why the hell didn't I try that first?) I found my snake under the rock at The Washington Post.
"Under the law, investigators cannot reveal federal firearms tracing information that shows how often a dealer sells guns that end up seized in crimes. The law effectively shields retailers from lawsuits, academic study and public scrutiny. It also keeps the spotlight off the relationship between rogue gun dealers and the black market in firearms."
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/23/AR2010102302996.html)
ABC News suggests that more than half of guns used in crimes come from just 1% of gun dealers. However, going back to poor Federal intervention (as shown above), studies show that agents rarely check to make sure that stores are actually complying with gun laws that would enable guns to be traced back to them. (http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=129253&page=1#.UVsGEJPvt8k)
With all of the recent discussion on gun control due to violent gun crimes such as the Sandy Hook massacre , you'd think "they" would take this opportunity to review their choices regarding gun dealers. But, no. According to USA Today:
With all of the recent discussion on gun control due to violent gun crimes such as the Sandy Hook massacre , you'd think "they" would take this opportunity to review their choices regarding gun dealers. But, no. According to USA Today:
"If anything, Congress seems headed in the wrong direction. This week, with little attention or discussion, lawmakers passed a half-dozen gun provisions, most of them designed to please the National Rifle Association by handcuffing the agency that enforces the nation's gun laws. The impact is to make it more likely that guns will get into the hands of criminals."
(http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2013/03/21/gun-dealers-inventory-atf-editorials-debates/2007657/)
So, in closing, it seems to be the same old story. The government takes advantage of tragedies in order to strip more freedoms from the people. What gets me, is how we continue to believe and trust that they are acting in our best interest. We live in such a state of delusion that we know for a fact that our government is overrun by lobbyists, yet we trust their choices to be unbiased. It seems, after reviewing the history of gun legislation, that the people getting the shaft is old news. There is no information I could find on what I was searching for because the government IBs (Info-blocks) us through legislation. They protect the true criminals.