DEL.ICIO.USThe Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 06/11/08
Georgia gun stores supplied more guns that were later recovered at crimes in other places than any other state in the nation, according to a Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence review of 2007 federal data.
As a source for guns, Georgia outranked much more populous states such as Florida, which was second, and Texas, which was third. According to the Brady Center, federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives data showed 2,631 crime guns recovered in other states were traced to Georgia stores.
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Georgia, as in virtually every other state, is its own biggest provider of guns recovered at crime scenes here, 5,008, according to ATF data. The Brady Center said that number represented 75.8 percent of all guns recovered at Georgia crime scenes.
Last year, there were 11.7 gun deaths for every 100,000 people in Georgia compared with a national rate of 10.35 per 100,000. the center said.
"We hope these numbers will send a message to the [Georgia] Legislature that it's time to stop pandering to the gun lobby and do what's necessary to protect communities and families around the state and the country," said Daniel Vice, senior attorney at the Brady Center in Washington.
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ATF supervisor Todd Reichert in Washington noted that the agency's data included some gun sales that were originally made as much as 10 years ago, which is much longer than the two-year "time to crime" ATF considers an indicator of a possible illegal gun sale.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.
Lawrence Keane, senior vice president and general counsel for the National Shooting Sports Foundation, trade association for the firearms industry, accused the Brady Center of pandering to gun-control advocates and mischaracterizing the ATF gun tracing data, which the law limits.
"You cannot draw any statistical information from trace data. It's not particularly meaningful information," Keane said. "It is propaganda by the Brady Center to advance their anti-gun legislation to restrict the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans. They apparently have no respect for the Georgia Legislature, and they have no respect for state sovereignty."
Georgia has long had the overall reputation as a gun-friendly state. Its firearms law is the minimum required by federal statute; sales are allowed only to adults who have no criminal records and have not been involuntarily committed to a hospital for mental illness. And on July 1, a new state law will let permitted gun owners carry weapons on mass transit and into restaurants if the gun owners are not drinking alcohol.
"Our laws are, if anything, too restrictive," said Bob Thornton, who is on the executive committee for the Georgia Sport Shooting Association. "The laws in place are certainly not lax, as the Brady organization would imply."
But the Brady Center consistently has given Georgia a failing grade on its state-by-state scorecard. "It's unfortunate that this is a distinction Georgia has had two years in a row," Vice said.
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Comments
By Bob
Jun 20, 2008 10:10 AM | Link to this
It is so typical of the NRA members blindly repeating their rhetoric on this board. The article says Georgia is the leading state for crime guns, and it has spun into a rape victim having the right to defend herself. The point is Georgia does a terrible job regulating the gun dealers in the state, and as a result criminals from other states are getting their firearms there. Georgia's lax enforcement and laws are resulting in people dying in other states. There is no other conspiracy to take guns away or not protect law abiding gun owners. Georgia has done a a terrible job in protecting Americans across the country from criminal having guns, and they should be embarrassed to take action.
By OBAMA BARRACK
Jun 14, 2008 10:39 PM | Link to this
IT IS FAR BETTER THAT A WOMAN IS BRUTUALLY RAPED, THAN FOR HER TO HAVE THE AUDACITY TO OWN A FIREARM TO DEFEND HERSELF.
By Richfred
Jun 14, 2008 6:06 PM | Link to this
Actually "DAVE" , guns are used at least 2.4 MILLION times a year in cases of legal self defense. About 150,000 of those gun owners would have certainly been killed, or grievously injured. That is geometrically higher than the 20,000 or so killed by guns, and that includes justifiable killings, accidents and suicides. Factor out the %70 of those killings that are between drug dealers, and you have a very small number of real, unprovoked murders. So get your numbers right before declaring your ignorance to the world again "DAVE".
Thank You.
By Kevin
Jun 13, 2008 4:31 PM | Link to this
Everybody keeps bringing up the driver's license comparison, but there are two problems with that comparison that show why gun control doesn't work: 1)you don't have to have a license (OR A BACKGROUND CHECK) to buy the car, and 2) as a cop in metro-ATL, I can tell you that we have a lot of un-licensed people driving cars in the ATL!!! The people are the problem, not the guns. We need to keep the PEOPLE locked up. Why don't we impose a 25 years to LIFE IN PRISON, MANDATORY sentence for criminals who possess a gun while committing a violent crime, a drug crime, or for possessing a stolen gun. Just look at the rapper T.I.'s case, he should be looking at 25 to life, not a slap on the wrist and probation; he's a convicted dope dealer for crying out loud! That is why we have a "gun violence" problem. More citizens need to start carrying guns and defending themselves; that will result in a natural reduction in violent predators, and a reduction in violent crime over-all.
By fsilber
Jun 13, 2008 8:30 AM | Link to this
to DaveD: No license or registration is needed to operate a car on private property. Likewise, most states require licenses to carry concealed handguns legally in public.
To Kitty: Criminals take guns from uniformed police who carry openly. It is quite unusual for criminals to disarm a plain-clothes detective or off-duty cop who carries concealed like a private citizen. Perhaps more guns equals more violence, but violence is like cholesterol -- theres the bad kind but also the good kind. We want more violence against criminals, not less.
to Terrel: Do you think regulation can make bullets unavailable to criminals? How well did regulation work in making marijuana, heroin, and cocaine unavailable to criminals?
By CCW4ME2
Jun 13, 2008 12:29 AM | Link to this
Instead of trying to limit who can own a gun in a community why not limit who is allowed to live in the community? How about we just "Brady Check" everyone and if you fail you leave? Oh, but then who would be left to vote Dumbocrats into power in Atlanta and other big cities?
By CCW4ME2
Jun 13, 2008 12:28 AM | Link to this
Instead of trying to limit who can own a gun in a community why not limit who is allowed to live in the community? How about we just "Brady Check" everyone and if you fail you leave? Oh, but then who would be left to vote Dumbocrats into power in Atlanta and other big cities?
By DaveD
Jun 12, 2008 2:33 PM | Link to this
One need a license to operate a car...one needs a license to cut hair...to operate...yet a child can shoot a gun.
Guns kill WAY more people than PROTECT people...PERIOD!
Gun OWNERS are killers. Not guns. Take away the guns from the gun OWNERS...
Feel like man shooting a gun? Killing an animal? (if you hunt..or if you eat factory foarm animals while owning an animal you call a pet)?...No...you're a sissy... a wimp...
guns kill....but it's gun OWNERS that pull the trigger...
so...gun OWNERS kill... as i said...sissys
By Real ATL
Jun 12, 2008 2:27 PM | Link to this
I am ashamed at the amount of hate coming from my fellow Geogians! What is the matter with you all, we are supposed be the most Christian state in the Union and this is how we express our opinions on something as controversial as gun ownership. I would venture to bet that 99.9% of legal gun owners have never had to use their gun to defend themselves against another American citizen. They sure as heck haven't had to use it against the Government, the true reason for originally bearing arms. Please be real people, no guns don't create violence, but they do work to perpetuate it.
Grow up and stop acting like children. You don't have to act ignorant and say stupid things like kill all democrats to get your point across. If you are for loose gun laws, fine, but have some validity behind your arguement.
By TPA
Jun 12, 2008 2:13 PM | Link to this
Mongo,
Aside from your obvious mental issues: you should be aware that language that could be construed as a threat to do harm to the President of the United States has before resulted in the Secret Service getting involved with some backtracking of your IP address. Just a friendly word: if you don't want guys with earpieces knocking on your door, keep your batst crazy ramblings to yourself... wacko...
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