Fun with trace data
The ATF has released trace data by state. Unsurprisingly, most traced guns originate in the states where they are traced (who knew? all this time, I blamed Virginia).
Speaking of Virginia (which seems to be the front line in the war on guns these days), Sebastian notes some irony:
If this ATF data is to be believed, then Virginia is still a major source of traced firearms. Maryland is too. It’s useful to note that Maryland has some rather restrictive handgun laws, and that Virginia has one-gun-a-month. One gun a month, folks who support gun control tell us, is critical to stopping illegal gun trafficing (sic).
More analysis of the trace data here and here.
Apparently, Massachusetts is exporting it’s criminals to New Hampshire too.
August 22nd, 2007 at 9:35 am
The one thing I think you can say from the data is that criminals don’t like to drive very far to get their guns. New York City is the only weirdo state, but I think they are tracing any gun they find that doesn’t show up in the state’s registration system, so you’re seeing the guns that appear in New York from everywhere else, and it literally is everywhere else.
August 22nd, 2007 at 9:43 am
Check out the national average “time-to-crime” (ie, from purchase date to crime): over 10 years. Too bad ATF can’t (or won’t) tell us how many original purchasers were actually involved in crimes 10 years later. Bet the number is tiny.