Constitutional Law

Mayor's group's report on "gun trafficking"

MAIG's report is here. It's grabbing headlines on a theme of "49% of crime guns trace to only ten States."

First problem: those ten States have about 52% of the US population, so it'd not be surprising that they account for 49% of traces. According to the 2000 Census, the US population was then 281 million, and the population of the ten States was 149.6 million (CA 39.6, TX 24.7, GA 9.8, FL 18.5, VA 7.8, IN 6.4, OH 11.5, PA 12.6, NC 9.4, AZ 6.6).

Second problem: the report constantly refers to "crime guns," then buries on p. 32 the concession that it is talking about traced guns, which are not the same as guns used in crime. (Its concession is misleadingly worded -- not all crime guns are traced. The real problem is that not all traces, in fact a majority of them, are of crime guns).

Third problem: its attempt to tie liberal gun regulations to interstate trafficking at times is almost humorous. For example, it argues that States with "shall issue" CCW licensing have a higher trafficking rates. That's licensing to carry, not to purchase. What could it possibly have to do with trafficking after purchase?

Hat tip to reader Ted Louis Glenn, who not only gave me the lead but also ran the State population data...

Full post as published by Of Arms and the Law on September 28, 2010 (boomark / email).