Friend, Never-before seen data is revealing a deadly hole in gun safety laws: gun stores can repeatedly violate the law with little to no consequence. In Pennsylvania, 52 stores racked up 178 violations in just a few years. Only two of them had their licenses revoked. The numbers would likely be worse, but inspections are rare. These violations aren’t simple paperwork infractions, they can cost lives by enabling illegal firearm trafficking and giving guns to those who want to hurt others. When it comes to a deadly firearm, this kind of lax enforcement costs lives. It’s time ATF get serious about enforcing our gun safety laws. The Gun Store Transparency Project from our friends at Brady¹ is the first time ever these records have been so easy to access for the public. They filed years of FOIA requests to get hands on more than 2,000 inspection reports. The results are terrifying. About 7% of gun stores are inspected every year. And less than 1% of those licensees have their licenses revoked. Those failures aren’t academic. Selling guns with verifying the buyer allows prohibited purchasers to access firearms. Just like failing to check an ID for buying liquor, it could be a 17 year old who wants to hurt themselves or others. And all of this leads to more illegal firearm trafficking. |
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This isn’t an accident, it’s by design. For years, the gun lobby has tried to hobble this agency whose mission should be to save lives from gun violence. Instead, it has become captured by the very industry it is intended to regulate. When former ATF agent David Chipman was nominated to run the agency pledging to go after illegal gun sales, the NRA and others smeared his record to stop him. That left ATF headless when we’re seeing the worst gun violence in more than 20 years in PA. I believe no one should be above the law, but today gun stores functionally are. They can get away with violations with little to no consequence. We cannot allow this to continue. Sincerely, Adam |
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