Photo by Tracy Clayton.

A report, published today by the coalition Mayors Against Illegal Guns, finds that 98.2 percent of all guns used for crime in the District come from other states, with Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia topping the list of gun exporters to our city. The finding is part of a broader report (PDF) assessing gun trafficking in the U.S. and its effect on various cities and states.

Based on an analysis of government statistics, the coalition’s report claims that in 2009, 10 states accounted for 49 percent of guns that crossed state lines before being used in a crime. More controversially, the report argues that there exists a correlation between a state’s gun laws and the likelihood that guns will be trafficked out and used in crime. In short, the easier it is to get a gun, the more likely it’ll be that the gun will go somewhere else and be used for ill means.

While Virginia has been one of the country’s highest gun exporters since 2006 (it ranked second every year until 2009, when it dropped a spot to third), when controlled for population, the Old Dominion ranks seventh in the amount of guns that originate there but end up being used in crimes elsewhere. The national average for crime guns exported per 100,000 people is 14.1; Virginia comes in at 32.4. (National leader Mississippi hits 50.3.) The District comes in dead last, exporting only 2.2 guns per 100,000 residents.

So what makes certain states better places for gun traffickers? The report uses 10 laws to judge states; the more laws it has on the books, the less likely that it will serve as a shopping destination for gun traffickers. Virginia, for example, only has four of the 10 laws on the books, failing to require background checks at gun shows, prohibit violent misdemeanor offenders from possessing guns and require that stolen or lost guns be reported to police. By comparison, Maryland has eight of the 10 laws on the books, and the District nine of them. Lowest on the list is, again, Mississippi, with just one.