A recent study revealed what every Second Amendment advocate already knows: Bad guys don’t get their guns through legal channels.
In a study conducted by the Journal of Preventative Medicine titled “Sources of guns to dangerous people: What we learn by asking them,” 99 criminals incarcerated in Chicago’s Cook County jail explained where they got their firearms. Not surprisingly, less than 1.5 percent of them were from a gun store.
While the sample size is small and specific to one area, it represents the modus operandi of criminals worldwide. According to the study, the majority of the criminals got their guns from a person they knew, or from a friend of a friend.
In other words, universal background checks wouldn’t have stopped them from acquiring their firearms or committing a crime. In fact, no law would have done that, because criminals by definition do not obey the law.
Here’s a breakdown of exactly where the criminals got their firearms:
(Photo: Cook County Jail Survey)
The participants in the study were quite candid and revealed some of the internal workings of how they illegally acquire firearms.
“All they need is one person who got a gun card in the ‘hood’ and everybody got one,” said one inmate.
“Six out of 10 times, people go out of state and bring them back,” said another inmate.
According to one of the participants, those selected by the gang leaders to bring guns in from out of state use the “train and bring them back, can be up to five or six guns depending on how much risk they want to take.”
In short, the study shows that background checks just don’t affect those who choose not to obey the law.
Does something need to be done about the continued mass shootings throughout our country? Yes. Do we need to disarm our law-abiding citizens by imposing stricter gun laws that only they will obey? Absolutely not.
(This article was a submission from freelance writer Brent Rogers)
While I agree with the “Execute the 3rd time violent repeat offender” idea…..and even in some cases the second time or maybe even some first time offenders…..I even agree with the high school education, but there is no way we should be paying for them to get college educations….or sex changes…or anything other than a rudimentary cell and bread and water. I’m all about the “Joe Arpaio” style of jail. Going to jail should be a deterrent….not an invite to a criminal social club!! When you make the choice to commit a felony crime, you forfeit most, if not all, of your rights…that’s just how I see it. Better believe that would reduce the crime rate even further than universal carry!!
But if you think another law in the books or any law currently in the books is going to keep guns out of criminals hands…??? ……. I mean, the DUH factor on this is off the charts!! You really are lost.
“While the sample size is small and specific to one area, it represents the modus operandi of criminals worldwide.”
If the sample size is small, and limited to one area, there is no logical basis for the pure speculation that this represents the modus operandi of criminals worldwide. Again, the sample was 99 persons, a full third of whom refused to disclose how they obtained their firearms. Also, the categories overlap, making it difficult to parse out what came from where. A better designed study with more concise categories would be needed to support your broad generalization.
I know my “views” will shock the liberals, but they’ll come around to my way of thinking once their title changes to victim, so here goes. My idea is actually quite simple. Execute the 3rd time violent repeat offender. Doing that would not only cut crime, but free up bed space, then you wouldn’t have to plea bargain with the first time offender. Then if you really wanted to do some good, make it so that they could not get out until completing a full curriculum high school diploma program. I’m not talking about your GED, which is geared to an 8th grader, but a full high school curriculum. Then, since we’re saving so much money by executing the habitual violent criminals, we could even go so far as to pay for their first 2 years of college.
I have always said this country needs to add a bullet tax. When a person turns 18 they should be taxed the price of a single bullet. Then that bullet should have their name put on it. If that person is found guilty of murder, rape, etc, they are given “their” bullet. Our society has shown us that almost anything a person does is either ok or forgivable. It’s ok for a person to do what they want when they want. Worst case scenario, they are given a place to sleep while fed better than a majority of the world. I also believe that public executions should be brought back. That way parents could show their children what happens to murders and rapists etc. But that is “inhumane”, we would rather our kids be exposed to the other countless evils, than show them what consequences are.