SFGate Says Laws Not Working – Really?

Writer Chip Johnson of The San Francisco Chronicle notes in his column how illegal guns are a serious problem in Oakland California:

“Since the start of the year, Oakland police have confiscated more than 200 illegal guns during routine traffic stops and planned police arrests.”

The problem is that Johnson seems to believe, as does it seems the Oakland police chief, that these “illegal” guns are all coming from gun shows through the “infamous gun show loophole.” He writes:

“Police Chief Anthony Batts said his officers will focus on tracing guns back to the point of origin and working with federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives authorities to identify and prosecute the people illegally transporting them from gun shows outside the state. Interstate transport of such weapons is a federal crime.”

We agree with Johnson that illegal guns are a problem, and he notes in closing that removing violence from the gang culture’s heart is key to winning the battle. We must disagree with the tactic of going after gun shows to solve the problem however. Johnson, nor Batts, even note that Homeland Security lost guns, that police officers lost guns or that police officers sold off confiscated guns. We’ve reported on all of those, but once again the media looks only at gun shows.