New ATF Report; Gun Sales have Tripled. And Guns are Now the Leading Cause of Death for Children

The United States is awash in guns, more so than ever before. Americans own 400 million guns. That's more than one per person. And, according to a new report from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives [ATF] we are adding more at a record pace. The ATF's study found that American gunmakers manufactured more than 11 million guns in 2020, almost three times the number produced in 2000.

The report also documented a troubling shift in the type of guns Americans are buying. Starting in 2009, Glock-type semiautomatic handguns began to outsell rifles which are typically used in hunting.

The Biden administration is also working on an analysis of weapons used to commit crimes to offer a comprehensive picture of illegal gun trafficking to understand how so many firearms that were originally purchased legally end up in the hands of criminals.

New York Times: "That report is expected to highlight the role of illegal straw purchasers, legal buyers who sell weapons to people barred from purchasing handguns, and perhaps identify federally licensed dealers who are responsible for selling the greatest number of weapons later used in crimes."

Private firearm research organizations are also working on that issue.

New York Times: "This month, the gun control group Brady released an examination of Pennsylvania firearms tracing data revealing that six small retailers in south and northeast Philadelphia sold more than 11,000 weapons that were later recovered in criminal investigations or confiscated from owners who had obtained them illegally from 2014 to 2020."

Guns are Now the Leading Cause of Death for Children

According to new research by the Centers for Disease Control [CDC] gun-related deaths have surpassed motor vehicle accidents as the leading cause of death for children up to the age of 19.

Axios: "The firearm death rate among children is steadily rising, as more kids are involved in gun-related homicides like Tuesday's mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, as well as suicides and accidents."

"Nearly two-thirds of the 4,368 U.S. children up to age 19 who were killed by guns in 2020 were homicide victims, per the CDC.

The gun industry and their Republican allies in Congress have fought for years to prevent the federal government from collecting and reporting many types of firearm-related data. It's easy to see why. But even with all the new information about gun sales and deaths and the recent string of mass murders, don't expect conservatives in Congress to balk. Senate Republicans will filibuster to death any gun control measures with teeth, although some minor reforms may be possible this time.

#guns #news #research

By: Don Lam & Curated Content