The Illegal Gun
Problem

Myth #1: Criminals will always find
a way to get guns

FACT: But HOW? Thousands of guns move from the legal to the illegal market every year. Asking Where did the gun come from? focuses on the point guns enter the illegal pipeline. We can stop the flow of guns to youth and criminals once we learn who is making them available.
CASE IN POINT: Massachusetts gun maker Kahr Arms hired convicted drug dealers who were able to walk out the door with weapons to resell on the street. Kahr Arms had no security cameras or metal detectors. Danny Guzman, father of two, was killed with a 9mm traced to Kahr Arms.

Myth #2: Crime guns come from break-ins

FACT: This is a convenient gun lobby myth. It distracts attention from illegal gun sales, which bring in hefty profits. It also helps boost legitimate sales by exploiting the fear of being burglarized. But data shows 60% of guns used in crime come from 1% of federally licensed gun dealers.
(ATF Crime Gun Trace Reports, 2000)The findings were so threatening to the gun industry, it pressured Congress to keep crime gun trace data secret from the public, lawmakers, researchers, and even most police officers.
CASE IN POINT: Guns used by the Washington, DC snipers were traced to Bull's Eye Shooter Supply in Washington state. The ATF cited Bull's Eye 15 times in five years for multiple violations, including a failure to produce sales records for hundreds of weapons. (Seattle Times, April 20, 2003) One of the sniper victims was Kenneth Bridges, a businessman and father of six.

Myth #3: Gun laws don't work because
criminals don't obey laws.

FACT: Laws that limit how many handguns someone can buy at one time have been shown to reduce trafficking. One-gun-a-month laws make it harder for traffickers to conduct business and easier for authorities to detect them.
CASE IN POINT: After Virginia passed legislation to limit handgun purchases to one-per-month, crime guns traced back to Virginia fell 67%. (Journal of the American Medical Association, 1996)

Myth #4: Gun-owners' rights are under attack.

FACT: Illegal gun trafficking is a crime issue, not a gun-rights issue. Felons and youth under the age of 21 do not have a legal right to possess handguns. Gun owners should champion policies designed to prevent criminals and youth from accessing handguns, and many do.

Myth #5: The solution is to lock up people
who use guns illegally.

FACT: We can't arrest our way out of this problem. As long as handguns flow easily from rogue gun dealers to the criminal market, America is going to have a problem with violent crime. Arresting people who possess guns illegally is only part of the solution. A healthier approach would be to prevent shootings by ensuring handguns never make it to the illegal market.