Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News Editorials & Other Articles General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

applegrove

(123,130 posts)
Mon Dec 29, 2014, 11:00 PM Dec 2014

How Did the NYPD Killer Get His Hands on a Gun From Georgia? Because Our Laws Are Insane.

How Did the NYPD Killer Get His Hands on a Gun From Georgia? Because Our Laws Are Insane.

By Rebecca Leber at the New Republic

http://www.newrepublic.com/article/120639/new-york-police-trace-ismaaiyl-brinsley-gun-georgia-arrowhead-shop?utm_content=buffer1c138&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

"SNIP...................


Investigators have traced the gun Ismaaiyl Brinsley used to kill two New York City police officers and wound his ex-girlfriend to a Georgia strip mall 900 miles away. The Arrowhead pawn shop, which bills itself as a “family-owned business dedicated to good prices, good customer service and good vibes,” as of 2010 was the fifth-largest source of guns used in crimes nationally and the number-one source of out-of-state guns seized by the New York Police Department.

What happened between the time the silver Taurus semiautomatic handgun was purchased in 1996 and Brinsley came across it? We don't know. Brinsley was barred from owning a gun because he had committed multiple felonies; if he had to complete a background check, he would have failed it. But he never had to complete a background check. Police say the Asian man who bought the gun at Arrowhead later gave it to his cousin, and there have been no traceable purchases since, meaning it exchanged hands in private and illegal deals.

Weak federal laws and disparate state laws enable a black market where felons and domestic abusers can get their hands on guns. Georgia is among many southern states whose lax gun laws effectively supply firearms for criminal activity in states with stricter laws. Some 90 percent of guns traced in New York City crimes come from out-of-state sources. Compare New York's laws to a state like Georgia, and it's easy to see why these southern states are known as the Iron Pipeline.

New York requires all gun sales, including private ones, to pass a background check. Georgia does not. It also has no penalties for straw purchasers who buy firearms legally for someone who can't. It also doesn't mandate that gun owners file a police report when their gun goes missing. In 2014, Georgia's weakened its laws even further, and now gun owners can carry firearms into bars, classrooms, government buildings, and even TSA airport checkpoints. Felons are allowed to invoke the controversial Stand Your Ground defense, meaning they don’t have the obligation to retreat if they feel their life is threatened. Georgia’s own murder rate is 27 percent above the national average, and has the 13th most permissible gun laws in the nation, according to a Daily Beast analysi



....................SNIP"
5 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
How Did the NYPD Killer Get His Hands on a Gun From Georgia? Because Our Laws Are Insane. (Original Post) applegrove Dec 2014 OP
Throw the last known legal owner into jail. rickford66 Dec 2014 #1
This message was self-deleted by its author GGJohn Dec 2014 #4
THIS. ^^^^^ ncjustice80 Jan 2015 #5
'straw purchases' are illegal at the federal level... PoliticAverse Dec 2014 #2
Post removed Post removed Dec 2014 #3

rickford66

(5,667 posts)
1. Throw the last known legal owner into jail.
Mon Dec 29, 2014, 11:15 PM
Dec 2014

When he identifies who he sold it to, let him out and throw that buyer in jail and so on until you put the trail together. If gun buyers and sellers know this could happen, maybe they'd be more careful about who they deal with. OK maybe not thrown in jail but have to put up a large bond, a million or so, until they point to the buyer.

Response to rickford66 (Reply #1)

Response to applegrove (Original post)

Latest Discussions»Issue Forums»Gun Control Reform Activism»How Did the NYPD Killer G...