According To DOJ Report, Most Criminals Obtain Their Firearms Illegally

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The DOJ recently released a report surveying criminals who committed crimes (both violent and non-violent) at the state and federal level.
 
In their survey, they discovered that roughly 43% of the prisoners got a gun either off the street or through an underground market. 7% say they found a gun at the scene of the crime that would later be committed by them and 6% say they had stolen the gun. 25% got a gun through a family member, friend, or generally as a gift.
 
And one of the most interesting statistics provided by the report is the following: “Among prisoners who possessed a firearm during the offense for which they were imprisoned, 7% of state and 10% of federal prisoners serving a sentence in 2016 bought or traded for the firearm from a gun shop or gun store.”
 
So 90% of federal and 93% of state prisoners acquired guns outside of a gun shop or a gun store.
 
And the Left says we need more gun control measures?
 
What’s more, only “1.3% of prisoners obtained a gun from a retail source and used it during their offense,” according to the Daily Wire.
 
And by the way, that 7% of state and 10% of federal prisoners obtaining a gun from a gun store only counts towards criminals who POSSESSED a gun during the crime they committed for which they were imprisoned, not necessarily those who actually used the firearm.
 
Roughly “29% of state and 36% of federal prisoners serving a sentence for a violent offense in 2016 possessed a firearm during the crime. About a quarter of state (23%) and federal (25%) prisoners serving time for a violent offense used a firearm during the crime.”
 
The survey also breaks down the demographics for people most likely to have possessed a firearm during the crime committed for which they were imprisoned and found that “male prisoners were more likely than female prisoners to have possessed a firearm during their crime. About a fifth of male state and federal prisoners serving a sentence in 2016 possessed a firearm during the crime.”
 
According to the survey, 20.9% of state prisoners possessed a firearm at the time of committing the crime for which they were imprisoned, while 13.9% actually used a firearm. 20% of federal prisoners possessed a firearm with only 5% having used one. However, these are just the numbers for the number of total prisoners. In other words, these numbers include violent and non-violent crimes.
 
When it comes to violent crimes, as stated previously, 29.1% of state prisoners possessed a firearm and 23% used it, while 36.2% of federal prisoners possessed one and 25.3% used it.
 
Unsurprisingly, homicide and robbery saw the biggest number of people having possessed and used a gun both at the state and federal level, with assault trailing behind.
 
But the biggest focus for this particular conversation should be the statistics for how firearms are procured by the criminals.
 
Again, only 7% of state prisoners and 10% of federal prisoners obtained guns through a gun shop. At least 90% obtained it through different means.
 
Now, we do also have to look at that 25% who say they obtained their guns via a friend, family member, etc. I won’t get into that particular way to get a gun, since that can be a relatively slippery-slope to go through in terms of the extent of their legality.
 
What I mean is that, in my opinion, the most logical way to buy a gun for someone else is to go to a gun shop with the person you are gifting the gun to so that the store can run a background check for that person. I am well aware that people also do things differently, but the reason I bring this up is because that seems to be the most logical and least legally obscure way of gifting a gun for someone else.
 
But in any case, like I said before, the main focus of this article is that statistic showing that a very miniscule amount of criminals obtained their guns at a gun shop.
 
Which really drives home the point that gun control simply doesn’t work. A bad guy will find ways to get guns if they have enough of a desire to do evil (and as a side note, a wall would really help regarding the flow of illegal guns into our country).
 
It makes no sense to punish those who follow the law for the actions committed by those who don’t follow the law.
 
Whenever there is a shooting, the Left will automatically blame the gun and call for more gun control which only affects law-abiding citizens.
 
But if this report is in any way accurate, then the argument for gun control goes out the window. If criminals tend to acquire their guns through ILLEGAL MEANS then there is not much more gun control laws will do except leave innocent people vulnerable to more attacks.
 
As I have said in multiple other articles discussing gun control and the 2nd Amendment, things like marijuana, crack and other illegal drugs are already illegal (for the most part). You are not legally allowed to have a bag of crack on you or in your home. And yet, people find ways to do it.
 
Those who obey the law will not have bags of crack on them (unless they are planted on them). Those who obey the law, by definition DON’T BREAK THE LAW!
 
Those who don’t obey the law will not care if there is more gun control or not, at least in regards to them obtaining a gun.
 
If anything, criminals love it when more gun control legislation passes. It means things get harder for people to acquire guns through legal means and they can be left a bit more vulnerable.
 
It’s not rare to hear of stories of someone, usually a woman, who wishes to obtain a gun through legal means because they fear for their life, but end up dying because of gun control legislation that makes it very difficult to obtain a gun.
 
And it’s not rare at all to hear of multiple weekends of bloodshed in places like Chicago, where gun control is faithfully implemented as much as it can be.
 
So not only does gun control usually mean more bloodshed and death wherever it is implemented, but it is not even doing what it supposedly is supposed to do: keep guns away from people who should not have them.
 
Not that that comes as any surprise to you or me. But it is good to see that rhetoric put down on paper, studied, and thoroughly looked at and basically proven.
 
Most criminals don’t obey laws. Who knew?
 
Proverbs 21:15
“When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers.”
 
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Author: Freddie Marinelli.
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