<DIV>Tim I,</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Thanks for the information. Like I said in my earlier email, if we hold gun owners and sellers criminally liable for what others do with their guns because they refused to properly secure it or sell it only to responsible law abiding citizens, we would see a rapid decline in armed crime, murder, shootouts, gang violence and even teenage suicide.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Many of the laws today are only designed to take guns away from responsible adults, not criminals and others that should not have access to them. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>It should be a felony to sell a gun or leave access to it to a minor, a criminal, or someone not of sound mind. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Best,</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Donovan <BR><BR><B><I>Tom Ivie <the_ivies3@yahoo.com></I></B> wrote:</DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE class=replbq style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #1010ff 2px
solid">oops! I meant 2005!!! 1995 isn't too recent any more is it<BR><BR><B><I>Tom Ivie <the_ivies3@yahoo.com></I></B> wrote: <BLOCKQUOTE class=replbq style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: rgb(16,16,255) 2px solid"> <DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(160,255,255)"><SPAN style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)">Here is some info I found about guns and crime. It is fairly recent (1995). Though it is about a study done in Minnesota, it has many federal statistics. Keep in my mind that I have no problem with private citizens owning guns and own many myself. The jist of the piece is that a large portion of violent crimes involve stolen guns (too often that were not locked up correctly). Be RESPONSIBLE and store your guns in an appropriate locked storage. To read the whole thing go to
http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:3JSkTDorFZQJ:www.endgunviolence.com/vertical/Sites/%257BAAEC109F-616F-49FC-8E4C-EDEA9EDD71E9%257D/uploads/%257B39D0C3A2-9B6E-4098-9AFD-24CFF81F2BC7%257D.DOC+stolen+guns+%26+crime&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=11&gl=us&client=firefox-a</SPAN><BR></B></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)"><BR>Guns</B><SPAN style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)"> </SPAN><B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)">stolen</B> from homes, vehicles and businesses are often used to commit violent crimes. In the U.S., more than a million <B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)">guns</B> were reported<SPAN style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)"> </SPAN><B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)">stolen</B> between 1993-2002, mostly from private homes or vehicles (81%). More than 400,000 of those <B style="COLOR:
black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)">stolen</B><SPAN style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)"> </SPAN><B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)">guns</B> were subsequently recovered by the police after a <B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)">crime</B><SPAN style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)"> </SPAN>or as a result of a criminal apprehension. </FONT> <BR></DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>The Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducts tracing of<SPAN style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)"> </SPAN><B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)">guns</B> used in <B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)">crime</B><SPAN style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)">.</SPAN> Their results from the year 2000 demonstrate that 26% of the <B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)">guns</B> used in <B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR:
rgb(255,255,255)">crime</B> that year were <B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)">stolen</B> from dealers, residences or automobiles.<BR></FONT><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><B>Continuing Criminal Access to <B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)">Guns</B></B></FONT> <UL type=disc> <LI><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>A robust secondary market (private sales between individuals, gun shows, flea markets, newspaper ads, and the internet) and criminal access through theft are routes that continue to supply criminals with weapons. In a 1997 survey, between 4 and 14% of state and federal prison inmates reported acquiring their firearm through theft.<SUP>[</SUP> In an earlier survey, 9% of handgun-owning inmates acquired their weapon through theft. </FONT></LI> <LI><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>‘Straw buys’, wherein a citizen with no record purchases firearms specifically for someone who would not pass a criminal
background check, continues to be an issue. When a gun used in a <B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)">crime</B> is traced back, the ‘straw buyer’ will often claim the gun was <B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)">stolen</B> and they did not report it.</FONT></LI></UL> <H1><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><B>Youth, Families and Firearms</B></FONT></H1> <UL type=disc> <LI><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Youth also report gaining access to firearms through theft. Of the 949 <B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)">guns</B> traced to <B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)">crime</B> committed by youth in Minneapolis during 2000, 34% were <B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)">stolen</B> from licensed dealers or private homes. A survey of juvenile inmates found that more than 50% had <B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)">stolen</B> a gun at
least once and 24% had had<SPAN style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)"> </SPAN><B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)">stolen</B> their most recently obtained handgun. </FONT></LI></UL> <UL type=disc> <LI><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Juveniles, in particular, are likely to steal <B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)">guns</B> from residences during daytime hours. Portable, easy to conceal and with a high street value, <B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)">guns</B><SPAN style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)"> </SPAN>are attractive to thieves both for personal use and for trafficking. </FONT></LI></UL> <UL type=disc> <LI><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Most handguns kept in the home are for protection, yet research has shown that <B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)">guns</B> in the home are more likely to be used against a family member (in a suicide, homicide or
accidental shooting) than against an intruder<SUP></SUP>. Further research suggests that keeping a gun in the home does not deter burglary. According to Cook and Ludwig, residences in neighborhoods with high gun prevalence are at greater risk of being burglarized. </FONT></LI></UL> <DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><B>Safe Storage</B></FONT></DIV> <UL type=disc> <LI><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Firearm theft rates vary between states and some suggest this may be related to firearm storage practices or safe storage laws. Nationally, 40% of US households have a gun in the home. In households with <B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)">guns</B> where children reside, 9% stored their weapons unlocked and loaded, while only 39% properly secured the weapons unloaded, locked and with ammunition stored separately. </FONT></LI></UL> <UL type=disc> <LI><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Approximately 48% of Minnesota households contain at
least one firearm, usually a rifle used primarily for recreation<SUP></SUP>.</FONT></LI></UL> <DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3></FONT></DIV> <UL type=disc> <LI><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Twenty percent of gun owners, most who own handguns for protection, store their weapons unlocked and loaded<SUP></SUP>. </FONT></LI></UL> <UL type=disc> <LI><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>According to Americans for Gun Safety, states that have enacted safe storage laws have lower firearm theft rates and more rapidly declining theft rates. Minnesota’s Child Access Prevention Law imposes penalties if a child is injured with a firearm that was not properly stored (Minn. Stat. 609.378, subd. 1; 609.666). In 2001, Minnesota ranked 38<SUP>th</SUP> among the 50 states in firearm theft rates.</FONT></LI></UL> <DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=5><B>Findings</B></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Locking <B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR:
rgb(255,255,255)">guns</B> matters. In Hennepin County, 78% of <B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)">stolen</B><SPAN style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)"> </SPAN><B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)">guns</B> were completely unlocked. The storage method matters, too. <B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)">Guns</B> locked inadequately include those kept primarily in glass cabinets, vehicles or locked storage spaces such as garage or apartment basement storage units. </FONT> <BR></DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)">Guns</B><SPAN style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)"> </SPAN>stored in homes are the primary source of <B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)">stolen</B><SPAN style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)"> </SPAN><B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR:
rgb(255,255,255)">guns</B>. Eighty-five percent of <B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)">guns</B> were <B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)">stolen</B><SPAN style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)"> </SPAN>from homes; 11% from vehicles and 4% from business. Asking the average gun owner to take the strongest method possible to lock any <B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)">guns</B> they own is likely to decrease gun theft in our community. </FONT> <BR></DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>In Hennepin County as a whole, more long <B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)">guns</B> than handguns are <B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)">stolen</B>. However in Minneapolis, more handguns are <B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)">stolen</B>. Many police jurisdictions show reports indicating that multiple <B
style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)">guns</B><SPAN style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)"> </SPAN>are <B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)">stolen</B> in a single event, usually a mix of handguns and long <B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)">guns</B>.</FONT> <BR> <BR><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=5><B>Recommendations for individual gun owners</B></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Lock <B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)">guns</B> in the most secure manner possible. Trigger locks available on the market today do a good job of protecting young children, but are far less effective in deterring adolescents and thieves.</FONT> <BR></DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Sell <B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)">guns</B> only to a licensed firearms dealer rather than to an individual or pawn shop. Licensed
dealers will run background checks before re-selling <B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)">guns</B>.</FONT> <BR></DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Phone your local police department for information about how to dispose of a gun in your home, or for more information on safe storage.</FONT> <BR></DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=5><B>Recommendations for Law Enforcement </B></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Investigate and prosecute cases involving <B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)">stolen</B><SPAN style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)"> </SPAN><B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)">guns</B>.</FONT> <BR></DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Create an expectation that officers will safely store <B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)">guns</B> in their own homes. Secure funding to provide high quality gun
safes to officers.</FONT> <BR></DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=5><B>Legislative Recommendations</B></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Provide access to the FBI’s <B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)">stolen</B> gun registry to licensed gun dealers and pawn shops.</FONT> <BR></DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Pass a law that requires gun owners to report <B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)">stolen</B><SPAN style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)"> </SPAN><B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)">guns</B>.</FONT> <BR></DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Strengthen and clarify Minnesota’s two safe storage laws. One prohibits child access to firearms to age 14 and another prohibits access to age 18. Both laws prescribe an adequate safe storage method and failure to comply with either law is a misdemeanor. Adopt the higher
standard (age 18) and increase the penalty for noncompliance.</FONT> <BR><BR><B><I>Tom Hansen <idahotom@hotmail.com></I></B> wrote: <BLOCKQUOTE class=replbq style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: rgb(16,16,255) 2px solid">Roger Falen stated:<BR><BR>"If some of the people there had been armed. there would probably have been <BR>fewer people killed."<BR><BR>Even from Roger Falen I expected something a bit more mature than this.<BR><BR>Or is he on to something?<BR><BR>Maybe we should ensure that each and every student is permitted to carry a <BR>loaded firearm around campus just in case the incident at Virginia Tech <BR>should happen here on our campus.<BR><BR>Could you imagine what Friday afternoons at the library would be like: "I'm <BR>going to the Reference Desk. Cover me."<BR><BR>And what about football games here at UI being attended by 10,000+ fans. <BR>How are we to know that some of them may not be a little off-center? <BR>Students attending
football games should also be armed. Nothing wreaks more <BR>of school spirit than a good ol' half-time shoot out after three hours of <BR>tailgating.<BR><BR>Now, if one of you fine people will cover me, I've gotta go to the post <BR>office.<BR><BR>Tom Hansen<BR>Moscow, Idaho<BR><BR><BR>=======================================================<BR>List services made available by First Step Internet, <BR>serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994. <BR>http://www.fsr.net <BR>mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com<BR>=======================================================<BR></BLOCKQUOTE><BR> <DIV></DIV> <HR SIZE=1> Ahhh...imagining that irresistible "new car" smell?<BR>Check out <A href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=48245/*http://autos.yahoo.com/new_cars.html;_ylc=X3oDMTE1YW1jcXJ2BF9TAzk3MTA3MDc2BHNlYwNtYWlsdGFncwRzbGsDbmV3LWNhcnM-">new cars at Yahoo! Autos.</A> =======================================================<BR>List services made available by First Step Internet,
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