tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8075448.post430074271314905600..comments2024-02-15T05:08:32.917-06:00Comments on Cliff's Crib: Where Are The Guns Coming From?Cliftonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03389032037779987856noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8075448.post-33721751113970994422010-07-23T08:25:27.321-05:002010-07-23T08:25:27.321-05:00Wow. I didn't realize AKs were more common in ...Wow. I didn't realize AKs were more common in NOLA than in other parts. If that's true, there's a story the Teep should be writing!<br /><br />I suspect the problem with the AK is that for obvious reasons (its size) it's not a very practical weapon for violent criminal acts, unless you're a drug-cartel hitman in Juarez or something. <br /><br />I've always found the legality issue of gun use to be superfluous. Of course a person who has a gun illegal and uses it illegally is acting illegally! This argument is often used by NRA types to say any effort to stem the availability of guns is punishing law abiding citizens is a crock. <br /><br />I know the Second Amendment is undeniably in favor of the individual's rights to bear and keep arms. (There's no away around that, that is a deeply ingrained right in American society.) But I find the aggressiveness by which gun-advocates counter any effort to stem the epidemic of "angry youths with guns" to be sickening. <br /><br />I don't know what the answer is, but clearly there is a problem when, as Cousins from Ga. points out, it's easier to get a gun than an education. <br /><br />Some of the most aggressive gun-rights advocates don't have to live in areas where there is a far greater chance of being shot. And certainly they get far more attention than people who have to live in these urban-conflict zones.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8075448.post-40403167316532566562010-07-22T10:38:34.985-05:002010-07-22T10:38:34.985-05:00Years ago, back when they did actual programming, ...Years ago, back when they did actual programming, MTV did a documentary on kids with guns. One of the most haunting quotes from a bandana faced youth was "the problem with this country is that it is easier to get a gun than it is to get an education." <br /><br />It isn't good when legally purchased weapons are stolen, but that number is actually a very small percentage of guns that end up on the street. <br /><br />Anonymous has it closer to correct. A lot of these weapons are purchased through loopholes, modified illegally and then sold off the books. The market for illegal weapons in this country is just massive. <br /><br />That still does not tell the whole story about how the "teenager who society barely lets out of the neighborhood" get their arsenal. That one is much more complex. <br /><br />The vast, vast majority of crimes committed and weapons busts by police nationwide do not involve AK-47's or rocket launchers and all that. They are usually illegally owned or concealed handguns, illegally sawed-off long guns or any gun owned or found in the possession of a felon. This is because weapons of this nature are simply the easiest to procure nationwide. AK-47's are far more difficult. <br /><br />However, New Orleans has a high AK-47 and AK copy trade due to this being a port of entry for such weapons, drugs and other contraband. The geography, economic location and lack of robust enforcement make this a smuggler's paradise. (Please see also, Houston)<br /><br />For that reason, any criminal element in Omaha or Denver are more likely to arm themselves with illegal sawed-off shotguns due to availability. Any criminal element in New Orleans is able to procure higher value weaponry because it is simply easier to get a hold of here.Cousin Pathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04445894373136726700noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8075448.post-79309555480435077682010-07-22T07:37:28.496-05:002010-07-22T07:37:28.496-05:00It's legal to own a semi-automatic AK-47 in th...It's legal to own a semi-automatic AK-47 in the US. And it's easy (though illegal) to convert a semi-automatic into an automatic. The Gunshow loophole allows the sale of weapons between individuals not involved professionally in arms trading without conducting a background check on the purchaser. <br /><br />Viola! That's how crooks get automatic weapons. Everything there is legal except the alterations to the gun to convert it to automatic.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com