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Florida No. 2 in nation for exporting guns used in crime
By Megan O'Matz | South Florida Sun-Sentinel
June 12, 2008
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Digg Del.icio.us Facebook Fark Google Newsvine Reddit Yahoo Print Reprints Post comment Text size: Florida, perhaps best known for exporting oranges, is now No. 2 nationwide for shipping out another commodity: guns.
The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence said Wednesday that Florida supplied more guns used in crimes outside its borders last year than every other state but Georgia.
About 2,328 guns used in crimes nationwide in 2007 were traced back to dealers in Florida.
Texas, where side arms are as popular as pork rinds, ranked third.
"Illegal guns generally flow from states with weak gun laws to states with stronger gun laws," the Brady Center said in releasing the state-by-state comparison.
The Washington gun-control group based its assessment on gun trace data released by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
A National Rifle Association spokeswoman said she had not seen the study and could not comment.
The transportation of guns along Interstate 95 from the southern to northeastern states with stricter regulations, such as New Jersey, Massachusetts and New York, is referred to as the "iron pipeline."
The Brady Center analysis found that one-fifth of all guns used in crimes across state lines came from Georgia, Florida or Texas.
"Apparently, it's telling us our gun laws aren't strict enough," said Gerry Boren, manager of Gun Barrel City, Texas. (City motto: We Shoot Straight with You. "It means we're gonna tell you the truth," Boren said.)
The number of guns actually trafficked from Georgia, Florida and Texas is likely to be even higher than the ATF reported, according to the Brady Center. Not all weapons used in crimes are recovered or are successfully traced back to gun shops.
States with the fewest guns linked to crimes outside their limits were New Jersey with 35, Rhode Island with 12, and Hawaii.
"Hawaii had zero crime guns exported," said Brady Center Senior Attorney Daniel R. Vice, an author of the study. The lesson: "We need to border ourselves with an ocean," said Texas' Boren.
At number two, Florida (long nicknamed the Gunshine State for its favorable firearms climate) had moved up the chart. In 2006, the state ranked fourth.
Next year, will Florida be first?
"It gives you something to shoot for," said Brady spokesman Peter Hamm.
Megan O'Matz can be reached at [email protected] or 954-356-4518.
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