Firing Back: Where Do Illegal Guns Come From?

If you believe Paul Helmke, former mayor of Fort Wayne, and current president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, most illegal guns come from legal sources. He cites this in an editorial he wrote for the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette:

“Illegal guns don’t grow on trees. Firearms almost always begin in the legal market. The question is, how are guns diverted from legal sellers to illegal buyers?”

He goes on to state:

“…according to one ATF report, ‘(F)elons buying or selling firearms were involved in more than 46 percent of the investigations involving gun shows.’”

First, that ATF report may or may not be accurate. But if in fact 46 percent of illegal firearms were obtained from gun shows, where is the other 54 percent coming from? That’s more than half, and a number that is quite alarming. So even if the so-called “gun show loophole” were closed, it seems apparent that there would still be a trade in illegal guns.

And this is the problem with the coverage from the mainstream media, and with organizations such as the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. Once the “loophole” is closed, and illegal guns don’t somehow disappear, than next Helmke will want to end gun shows, then close gun stores and finally call for a ban on private gun sales. Of course what he’ll find is that illegal guns will still be bought and sold, just more of them… because all guns will be illegal.