Where do criminals get their guns?


Unearthed

New member
We are constantly arguing that gun control laws are too strict and there are too many politicians trying to restrict gun ownership. While thinking about these issues I am drawn to the question in the title. There is obviously a black market for firearms, but where do they originate? Are most stolen from law abiding owners? Are some purchased legally by people who "Haven't been caught yet?" I know Cho, shooter in the VT tragedy, purchased his two handguns legally.

I own firearms, and I don't want any more laws restricting what I can and cannot purchase. I do however, feel there are too many criminals owning too many firearms in this country. Where are they coming from and what can we do to stem the tide?
 

I don't know where they are coming from. I speculate very similar to illegal drugs. Criminals can get what they want. I am sure a large portion are stolen. I am sure some law abiding citizens unknowingly sell unwanted guns to criminals. I personally doubt many are legally purchased with the intent to sell them to criminals. I'm sure this happens some though. I would love to see a country where no criminals had guns. I just don't see it ever happen. I speculate if every gun was taken away in the country, criminals would still have them. Notice I say speculate a lot. :)
 
This is a study in the economics of contraband, which operates by the same principle as any other market. The cost of goods are directly proportional to demand and inversely proportional to supply. Demand is the most constant factor while the other two factors vary. Constricting the supply of contraband has the result of increasing cost and therefore increasing profitability to traffickers. When profitibility increases, the motivation to deal in contraband increases, making the traffickers more numerous and ingenious. This dynamic will increase the supply again.

The thing to understand is that black market economics, like any other, tends towards a state of equilibrium. In other words, it automatically corrects when pressures are placed on it. This is one of the reasons that after 20 years and trillions spent on the war on drugs, surprise surprise, there are still drugs everywhere. As long as demand remains constant, the system can't be broken.

Unless we can think of a way to decrease the motivation to commit violent crime (demand), the black market for firearms will never be defeated. But if we can solve that problem, the question is moot anyway.
 
I always laugh at the comment, "Well, if we just banned guns we wouldn't have all these problems." Some people don't understand that criminals will find a way to get guns illegally; after all, they're criminals!
 
OUCH !!!! makes ya wanna cry!

From all the LEO'S I know and work with/around, there are also people who buy them legally, then sell them to the baddies. then, when crimes are suspected w/ them, they claim they wre stolen. and its hard to prove otherwise even though u know its a B.S. story.

Those are the people we should also take notice to as a society. They are criminals as much as the one who pulls the trigger.
 
I always laugh at the comment, "Well, if we just banned guns we wouldn't have all these problems." Some people don't understand that criminals will find a way to get guns illegally; after all, they're criminals!
I've always been against gun registration, like most people I fear that my government will suddenly decide to take our guns away from us someday and if they're registered then the government will know exactly where to go get them. I don't find that fear unfounded. I don't know the cure, I know I feel if we were more secure in our trust of our government to never take our guns away then registering wouldn't be as big of an issue as it is.

Personally I'm ready for all the guns in the hands of all criminals, gang members, and drug dealers, to be gone. The amount of "drive by shootings" occurring in the USA is sickening. So many politictians blame everything on guns it seems, mainly because crimes like drive-by shootings, drug shoot outs, and school shootings, are becoming more and more common and stand out so much. I look at taking guns away from honest citizens as being like punishing a good child for what the bad child has done, that it's just not the right thing to do.

I know this paragraph will probably get jumped on, but I feel that the private sales of guns, person to person, should not be allowed, that if you own a gun and want to sell that gun to someone else then that sale should go through gun shops with a FFL certified for private "person to person" sales. That way the person purchasing your gun would have to go through the same type of check as if they were buying a brand new gun and at least partially stop people from selling to criminals. Truly honest people shouldn't have an issue with doing this, I know I don't. This way people would think twice about selling to just anyone, that if they sold a gun without going through a certified gunshop and the person they sold it to used it in a crime, then it should fall back on the seller also. This is my view mind you, it doesn't have to be yours, I just feel that the more people allowed to sell to just anyone, the more problems the honest people will have in the future with hostile politicians crawling up our backs. If you have a better solution please share it with us.

Criminals will always find something to use, if guns become unavailable then it'll be something else, knives, baseball bats, fake pipe bombs .. I mean seriously, how much does it cost to run to your local hardware store and buy a short length of pvc pipe, two end caps, and some glue? Less than $10 I'm sure, and I'm gonna tell ya what, if someone came into my business and stuck one of those things on my counter with a couple of wires sticking out the end it'd, that'd darned well get my attention really quick.

Under no circumstances do I believe in taking guns out of the hands of honest and law abiding citizens. I feel all of us who read forums like this know that we're not the ones misusing guns. I believe that any crime commited by anyone with a gun should be sentenced to mandatory time in jail, no exceptions! I don't think they need trial after trial and appeal after appeal either.

I didn't feel I'd live to see a time where there'd be concealed carry licenses as common as there are today with so many states issuing them. I do feel honored to have one though, I believe it shows I've lead a good clean life and have never been in trouble, and at 55 I'm proud of that.

SnowCajun
 
There is no easy answer or correct answer..but here is one thought to ponder, "Quis custodiet ipsos custodes" (and if your latin is lacking, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quis_custodiet_ipsos_custodes )

Is this why we all have the right? I think so, and if they ban all guns, then the above applies..and the BG's will always have access and we "law biding" folks are open for UGLY things to happen to us.
 
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