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Both our "data-driven" governor and the Democrats in the legislature claim to be making gun policy based on science.
Are they though? Or is it just that they're using the "science" fed them by gun control advocates?
I found the ATF report linked below in an article I saw in "The Reload" newsletter.* The report lists the most common ways that firearms are trafficked illegally.
If commonsense and data are what politicians like Polis and his merry band of progressives say they are using to guide policy, one wonders whether any of them took the time to glance at what the ATF has to say.
Because even a quick look at the report seems to point at the fact that what they're regulating in this state would have little effect on guns ending up in the wrong hands.
Quoting the first line in the report:
"Most firearm transactions that arm violent offenders are illegal under federal and state laws. As such,prohibited persons rely on illegal firearm markets supplied by sources such as straw purchasers,unlicensed dealers, firearm thieves, corrupt FFLs, and others."
But not all of these sources are equal. Let's dig in on the report a little.
Screenshot 1 shows a table where the ATF collated data from 2017 to 2021 of all the different ways that firearms are illegally trafficked.
I highlighted the top two (in red) ways people get guns they shouldn't have and both involve purchasing illegally. Top 3 and 4 are highlighted in blue, this time involving theft.
What some might refer to "ghost guns" (though homemade firearms encompass a whole lot of things and not just here) are highlighted with black and it comes in as #6 most common.
Guns illegally bought from a licensed dealer is highlighted in green and comes in at #9.
Screenshot 2 is similar data, but this time broken out by year with a final column indicate a change.
Theft and illegal purchases are at the top again and clearly buying one illegally from someone or straw purchases** is on the rise. Theft still remains high up there across the years 2017 to 2021 though it seems theft is falling in this time period.
The very last row is, again, someone getting a gun they shouldn't have by a firearms dealer. This percentage is small, has stayed small across 2017 - 2021 and is falling.
Screenshot 3 is the same data, and this time it's broken down by region.
Since I live in Colorado, I highlighted the Southwest region in each category. As I seem to hint about below in talking about straw purchases and gangs/cartels, clearly straw purchases are a big one out here. As with the other data breakdowns above, people getting firearms through a licensed dealer don't even register in the top 5 (probably wouldn't be very visible on the scale of this graph).
This session of the Colorado legislature we've seen a lot of efforts to regulate guns.
--Regulations on where concealed carry permit holders can carry.
--State licensing for firearms dealers
--Tracking credit card transactions for gun purchases
--An excise tax on guns and ammo
--A "so called" assault weapons ban
--Liability insurance requirements for guns
I would have added a bill that put a stiffer penalty on stolen guns, but this bill was quickly killed by Democrats.
By far and away, when people die by guns it's from suicide. The next most common is by gun violence: a violent thug shoots someone, a gang member shoots someone over a drug deal, or a domestic abuser kills his wife.
If we really and truly wanted to curb gun violence, wouldn't we be wise to keep guns out of the hands of people that shouldn't have them? Those already not allowed to have guns UNDER CURRENT LAW?
Do any of the measures put forth by Democrats this year come anywhere near tackling the most common ways those that shouldn't get guns actually get them? Do you suppose buying an illegal street gun seller takes credit cards and will dutifully catalog the sale under the right merchant code?
Despite their rhetoric about following data and science. Colorado Democrats have done anything but.
They have chosen the politically expedient route. They regulate businesses that are easy to regulate because they follow the laws and rules. This has a huge emotional appeal to their political base, but as you can see it will likely have little to no effect on keeping guns out of the hands of those that shouldn't have them.
And every year more of the same.
*Worth signing up for if gun rights are a concern.
**I'm not an expert here, but my guess is that a lot of the straw purchasing going on is for cartels and gangs. That is, I would doubt highly that multiple individuals buying guns by having a friend go and buy it account for this level of traffic.
https://www.atf.gov/firearms/docs/report/nfcta-volume-iii-part-iii/download
Related:
The CU student that murdered two other students in the dorms couldn't legally have the gun he did (see the quote with link intact from the Sun article), but nonetheless what we need to do is make it so no one can have a gun.
Yep. That'll fix things right up.
"The university confirmedsuspected shooter Nicholas Jordanwasn’t allowed to carry a weapon in the dorms, but the killing of his roommate Samuel Knopp, 24, and Celie Montgomery, 26, reignited a conversation on the schools’ weapon policy."
https://coloradosun.com/2024/04/12/university-of-colorado-weapons-policy-regents/
I cannot lift heavy anymore, but if I could, the video below on the Democrats' gun control efforts would probably help me set a PR if I played it while exercising.
If you care about your gun rights ...
If you are concerned about any sort of gun registration (even unintentional) ...
If you, as a law-abiding gun owner, are worried about making a minor mistake and ending up with some sort of legal consequence ...
you should watch the video below.
Jon Caldara and David Kopel cover the litany of gun control bills coming out of this legislative session and the harms (intentional or otherwise) they can do to your rights.
Worth a watch if you've not been following too closely. Worth a discussion after watching with a friend (particularly if that friend is someone who may or may not be too concerned about their Second Amendment rights).
As I have said before, if this issue is a passion, I would recommend donating to your preferred gun-rights group (mine is Rocky Mountain Gun Owners -- not because we agree on everything but because they take my money and use it to fight in court).
Advocating by testifying is good, but I wouldn't recommend that be all; the Democrats in this state have shown a particularly callous disregard of both your rights and testimony against their bills. As such money will be needed to mount the multiple legal challenges that I'm sure will come after this legislative session.
They are your rights and if you don't stand up for them, you'll soon see them gone.
