Gun report's worth at issue - Misleading, ATF says of findings July 28, 2003 Page B-1
http://tinyurl.com/icdo BY MARK BOWES Richmond Times-Dispatch Staff Writer Federal officials have called misleading a report by a national gun-control group that lists 10 gun dealers, including one in Chesterfield County, among the nation's worst in selling guns linked to crimes. Using government statistics, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence this month released a list of licensed gun sellers it regards as "the worst players in the gun industry - gun sellers that recklessly operate their businesses and allow criminals to get guns." .... But the ATF appeared to question the Brady campaign's conclusions in a statement issued July 16, the same day as the Brady report. An ATF spokesman in Washington also wondered whether the 7- to 14-year-old data - the government data used by the Brady campaign and apparently the most recent available - was still relevant in 2003. "It is misleading to suggest that a gun dealer is corrupt because a large percentage of the guns sold in his store are subsequently used in a crime," the ATF said. "Many other factors - including high volume of sales, the type of inventory carried and whether the gun [dealer] is located in a high crime area - contribute to the percentages cited by the Brady campaign." Furthermore, "the statistics cited do not provide a complete picture of the types of activities that might warrant federal gun prosecutions," the ATF said. "Gun traces [of weapons used in crimes], for example, indicate only that a gun has come to the attention of law enforcement. They do not automatically implicate a dealer or purchaser in any wrongdoing." The ATF added: "[T]he fact is that the majority of federally licensed firearms dealers are not knowingly engaged in criminal activity." ... C Eichhorn Powhatan, VA
