Against the Grain II
Where do all these guns come from?
The question that often comes to mind when we hear of gun violence is how these firearms actually end up in the hands of perpetrators.
The obvious actually is not so. The first inclination of most would be that the guns are stolen. An article titled “Hot Guns” by Dan Noyes of the Center for Investigative Reporting has quite an intuitive answer.
It turns out that only 10-15 percent of illegally used guns come from theft. The theory behind that low number is that when an individual has the itch to use a gun, it would be time prohibitive to stage a gun theft.
The majority of guns used in violence are actually acquired through what is termed a “straw purchase.” A “straw purchase” is when an individual legally purchases a gun for use by another individual. An example would be one individual who cannot legally purchase a firearm going into a gun store and selecting a firearm and having the individual who has legal authority to purchase the gun for them. This is in fact illegal in itself, but it is one of the biggest ways guns get in the wrong hands.
Second to “straw purchases” are legal gun stores and online stores selling to individuals who are not authorized to make such purchases. The number of guns used in crimes by “straw purchases” and guns bought by illegal methods from licensed firearms dealers far outweigh the number of guns that are stolen.
This alarming revelation points to an obvious solution, stricter gun laws that would further prohibit the sale of firearms by dealers. Laws that would not prohibit legal sales, but trace purchases back to gun stores and assess penalties on stores if their activity results in illegal activity.
While legal firearm stores can’t be totally responsible, if there are significant patterns of illegal use of guns purchased from an entity, fines need to be levied to ensure that they are using discernment in the sale of firearms to make sure they are legally covered.
If this seems like too much, then what is the alternative. I was appalled, hurt, and distraught a few weeks ago at the news of the death of Kennesaw State quarterback Ladarius Clardy. The sophomore football player was shot dead after more than 50 rounds entered the car he was driving in Pensacola, Fla.
Clardy had a bright future ahead of him. He was grounded and knew that his academics had to accompany his athletics and was carrying a 3.8 GPA. He was involved in the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc “Omega Lamplighters” program where he was mentored by members of the fraternity. By all accounts and from local Omegas who had been in contact with him, he was on an awesome trajectory.
At this time, Florida sheriffs have three men in their sights for questioning in relation to Clardy’s death. Two of the young men are 19 years old and one is 20. While these young people are innocent until proven guilty, it would not be surprising if young men their age are the culprits. More and more Black youth have accepted gun violence as a resolution to conflict.
Add to the resolution of violence the ready accessibility of firearms and you have several of our youth living much like it was in the wild west of yesteryear.
