Gun Advocates Had It Right

A study conducted by the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police to determine the source of firearms used in crimes found that gun rights advocates have been right for years.

The study, led by epidemiologist Anthony Fabio of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public Health, partnered with the Pittsburgh Police to identify the origins of the 893-firearms police recovered from crime scenes in the year 2008.  The study found that less than 1/5 of all gun crimes are committed by legal gun owners, and in nearly 8 out of 10 cases, the perpetrator was not a lawful gun owner and the weapon they used belonged to some-one else.

But researchers were also attempting to learn how guns go from a legal purchase into the hands of criminals.  “All guns start out as legal guns,” Fabio said, but a “huge number of them” move into illegal hands.  “As a public-health person, I’d like to be able to figure out that path,” he added.

In most cases (62%) of recovered weapons, the gun owner didn’t know how he lost possession of their firearm.  Moreover, only slightly more than 30% of guns recovered by police were reported lost or stolen by the gun owner.

Conclusion: 79% of perpetrators use firearms they are not the legal owner of; therefore it is “highly likely that a significant amount of theft or trafficking is the source” of the overwhelming majority of firearms used in America’s “gun crime epidemic.”  In layman’s terms, no additional gun laws are going to stop criminals from getting their hands on guns.  Period! 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel