August 21, 2007
Virginia's Primary Export? Guns
When New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg sent undercover agents into Virginia gun shops to sniff out illegal sales earlier this year, he had one point to make -- Virginia's guns are ending up plenty of other places, where they have contributed to a number of killings. Predictably, Virginia officials were incensed at Bloomberg's interstate investigation, issuing the equivalent of a cease-and-desist letter and pushing a local gun rights group to organize a "Bloomberg Gun Giveaway" in protest. A story in the Post today might prove that Bloomberg's worries were well-founded, and that he might not be the only one who has them.
According to the Post, federal officials have found that thousands of guns in states as far north as New York and as far south as South Carolina originated in Virginia, making it the second-leading source of guns for many states on the East Coast. Surprisingly, though, of the almost 1,100 guns recovered in the District last year and traced, only 277 came from Virginia -- less than the 289 from Maryland.
So what can we make of the report? Well, there's clearly some reason that all those guns are coming from Virginia. While some gun rights activists claim that Virginia's gun laws are stricter than those of some of the states that are complaining, the numbers make it clear that getting a gun in the commonwealth -- whether for yourself or someone else -- can't be that hard. And while Bloomberg's way of tracing the source of the guns in his city may have stepped on some toes, Virginia officials might want to step up the investigations themselves -- after all, having that many of your guns found in other states isn't a distinction someone's going to win an award for.
Maybe the bigger news for the District is that a total of over 1,800 guns were recovered in 2006, 47 of which were linked to homicides. And while that number may seem to prove what city officials have claimed all along -- guns are killing people, so we need fewer of them out there -- it may also give credence to activists fighting to have the city's gun laws overturned. After all, aren't the criminals getting the guns illegally at an advantage? Why should they be the only ones that have guns?
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Being a good reactionary liberal I've always been for gun control in urban areas.
But after seeing DC's police and court system in action for a decade I've reached the inescapable conclusion that my local government is stunningly incapable of and uninterested in protecting me, my family, or my property.
DC police are reactionary only. They never actually investigate or try to prevent crimes. It takes a crowbar to get them to actually leave their vehicles and get close to us actual citizens.
DC courts never met a criminal excuse they didn't love, and their main function seems to be employing court employees, not protecting the citizenry.
There are some very good DC cops, and probably some equally good court personnel. But, sadly, they are few and far between, and their efforts are dwarfed by the system put into place around them, and by the inertia and bad attitudes of their many coworkers.
I think I'd actually welcome a gun ban overturning at this point. I really don't see how it could make me that much less safe. And who knows? Maybe it would actually make me safer.
The alternative is a few more decades of MPD sitting hermetically sealed in their cars and DC courts simply letting the few criminals MPD manages to catch off.
Favorite sentence:
"Law enforcement authorities traced more than 10,000 guns recovered in Virginia, Maryland and the District last year -- and nearly half came from Virginia, according to federal data released yesterday."
So of the guns they siezed in VA/DC/MD, half came from Virginia. Seeing as they're illegal in DC anyway, wouldn't you EXPECT half to come from Virginia, considering you're INCLUDING Virginia in that awkwardly worded sentence?
But when you look at the numbers of guns siezed in DC, the majority of them came from MARYLAND.
Thank you for asking that question. I find it ridiculous that law abiding citizens are left with no means of protecting themselves while criminals have no problem getting access to guns. DC has some of the strictest gun laws in the country, yet one of the highest gun-crime rates... maybe those rates would go down if people were able to defend themselves.The issue is actually being put before the Supreme Court this fall I believe...
Surprisingly, though, of the almost 1,100 guns recovered in the District last year . . .
Maybe the bigger news for the District is that a total of over 1,800 guns were recovered in 2006
I'm a bit confused, which number is correct?
On the Bloomberg strategy: Virginia gun sale laws are being broken by Virginia gun dealers, and Virginia officers sworn to uphold those laws fail to do so. The Commonwealth pumps large quantities of illegally-purchased pistols to places where they are resold for the greatest profit and used in crime.
When sworn law officers do not enforce particular laws, officers and law-breakers usually have a cozy relationship. It would have been absurd for NYC to work with VA law enforcement on this issue. Thanks to VA-licensed private investigators, the facts have been established beyond dispute. What remains is for VA law officers to enforce existing VA gun laws, and for VA public integrity officials to punish VA law enforcement officers who enable illegal gun sales.
On the Bloomberg strategy: Virginia gun sale laws are being broken by Virginia gun dealers, and Virginia officers sworn to uphold those laws fail to do so. The Commonwealth pumps large quantities of illegally-purchased pistols to places where they are resold for the greatest profit and used in crime.
When sworn law officers do not enforce particular laws, officers and law-breakers usually have a cozy relationship. It would have been absurd for NYC to work with VA law enforcement on this issue. Thanks to VA-licensed private investigators, the facts have been established beyond dispute. What remains is for VA law officers to enforce existing VA gun laws, and for VA public integrity officials to punish VA law enforcement officers who enable illegal gun sales.
I hope the gun ban in the district is removed. I've been mugged, had my apartment broken into, and my car brokened into several times. DC police are reactionists and they have no clue of what's going on in my NE neighborhood. The neighborhood residents are apologists who make excuses for the crime. They normalize the crime and never see anything. How pathetic.
If we all just shot each other dead, we'd be a lot less likely to be victimized by guns.