Inside Gun Shows: Frightening New Investigation Into Illegal Guns Sales
I realize that the left has completely abandoned the gun issue, but it's still necessary to highlight the fact that guns are saturating our society and the natural consequences of doing such a thing.
Mayor Bloomberg has conducted an investigation into illegal gun sales that will make the hair on the back of your neck stand on end:
Ever wonder how criminals are able to get guns so easily? It's depressingly simple. On any given weekend, at dozens of gun shows held in states across the country -- criminals can buy guns from "private sellers" who are not required to perform background checks.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms has identified gun shows as the source of more than 30% of all illegally trafficked guns in the country. Those are the guns most likely to be used in crimes -- and to kill innocent people, including police officers.
Today, New York City is releasing the results of a multi-state investigation into this activity: "Gun Show Undercover." We sent investigators with hidden cameras to seven gun shows across Ohio, Tennessee and Nevada, and we found out just how easy it is for criminals and the mentally ill to walk in and buy guns -- no questions asked.
Our investigators told the private sellers that they "probably couldn't pass a background check" -- and at that point, the seller should have sent them away. Because even private sellers are prohibited by federal law from selling to those who they have reason to suspect could not pass a background check.
Instead, 19 out of 30 private sellers made the sale.
[Y]ou can watch our hidden camera videos and learn more about our investigation at www.nyc.gov/gunshow.
I had the very strange experience of witnessing the aftermath of a shooting in my own neighborhood a week or so ago. I heard the shots, saw the perpetrator zoom by in his vehicle right in front of my living room window, stood outside the crime scene tape observing victims being treated on the ground and the police conduct the investigations. I've never seen anything like that in my neighborhood before and I've lived here for over a decade. My 70 year old neighbor was shot in the crossfire. (My husband commented to the crowd that there are too many guns in this town and everyone looked at him as if he'd just said something sacrilegious, which I guess is true.)
