Welcome to a weekly series here on Pew Pew Tactical dedicated to the gun news you need to know.
So, keep reading for this week’s notable news headlines…
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Gun Violence Summit: 5 Gun Makers Responsible for Over Half of Seized Guns
Mayors at the Gun Violence Summit held in New York City this week say that over half of seized guns from crime scenes in nine cities are from just five gunmakers.
ABC News reports that data released at the summit show Glock (16.6%), Taurus (12.4%), Smith & Wesson (11.8%), Ruger (6.5%), and Polymer80 (3.8%) accounted for nearly 10,000 recovered guns in 9 out of 12 cities that participated in the data collection.
“We’re dealing with the same problem: a $9 billion industry turning their profits into our pain,” New York Mayor Eric Adams explained to ABC News in an appearance on Good Morning America.
City officials from several cities in the U.S – including St. Louis and Little Rock — met to work out strategies for gun violence. Adams said the ultimate goal is “to get that gun before it hits our streets.”
With the Supreme Court siding with gun owners in Bruen v. NYSRPA and Congress hesitant to institute sweeping bans, the mayors say it’s their responsibility to solve a situation they call problematic.
“Any of us at any point in time will receive a phone call about a homicide, and 99.9% of the time, it relates to a gun,” Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott told GMA. “We have to address the guns.”
Historically, gun manufacturers have been shielded from lawsuits under the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act. Under PLCAA, gun makers are protected from lawsuits stemming from criminal or unlawful misuse of the product – in this case, guns.
Lawmakers have made unsuccessful attempts in the past to abolish the PLCAA or at least remove gun makers from its purview.
“If this were any other industry that was as deadly, then the government would have already acted to make sure that we got rid of whatever was killing our citizens,” St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones said.
“We haven’t seen that action from the federal government so we have to look at the root causes and try to cure gun violence in our cities.”
Report: Over 80% of Firearms Offenders in 2021 Were Prohibited Persons
A 46-page report released last week by the U.S. Sentencing Commission suggests that over 88% of firearms offenders were already considered “prohibited persons” – meaning they couldn’t legally possess a firearm.
The report classified prohibited persons as:
- (1) persons convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year (i.e., felons);
- (2) fugitives;
- (3) unlawful drug users;
- (4) persons who have been adjudicated as a “mental defective” or who have been committed to a mental institution;
- (5) aliens illegally or unlawfully in the United States, or, with exceptions, aliens admitted to the United States under a nonimmigrant visa;
- (6) persons discharged from the Armed Forces under dishonorable conditions;
- (7) United States citizens who have renounced their citizenship;
- (8) persons subject to certain court restraining orders;
- (9) persons who have been convicted in any court of a “misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.
In their findings, investigators noted that most offenders had a prior felony conviction.
Further, a third of the offenses involved stolen guns or altering/removing serial numbers from firearms. This figure aligns with a 2019 Department of Justice survey which found that only 7% of prison inmates obtained a firearm through traditional retail sales.
The report offers a unique perspective on crime — especially at a time when legislators have looked to strengthen gun laws to include more stringent background checks and even all-out bans on certain weapons.
“As the number of firearms offenses has risen in recent years, this report provides insight and detail that may prove useful to both policymakers and those who study federal criminal justice statistics,” the study concluded.
AP Stylebook Advises Media to Ditch “Assault Weapon” Branding
The Associated Press’ Stylebook recently updated its guidelines, suggesting that media outlets no longer use the terms “assault weapon” or “assault rifle” when reporting on firearms news.
AP Stylebook — a standardizing guide for news reporting — cut the terms from its firearms section and suggested reporters and journalists avoid them altogether.
“Avoid assault rifle and assault weapon, which are highly politicized terms that generally refer to AR or AK-style rifles designed for the civilian market,” the Stylebook advised.
It went on to say that the terms assault rifle and assault weapon “convey very little meaning about the actual functions of the weapon.”
The guide also went a step further, defining the difference between semi-auto firearms and automatic, to clear up any confusion between the two.
Gun groups have long pushed back against the terms coined in the 1980s as a misrepresentation of the AK and AR – which stands for Armalite Rifle, not assault rifle.
Pro-gun groups like the Second Amendment Foundation said the decision to ditch the terms should help build trust in the media.
“It’s about time the media realized the terms ‘assault rifle’ and ‘assault weapon’ are inflammatory and meaningless,” SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb said in a press release.
“I’m glad to see the AP Stylebook now recognizes that these firearms only fire one round each time a trigger is pulled and really function no differently than any other semi-auto rifle, pistol, or shotgun, all of which have been in common use in this country for more than a century.”
More MSRs in U.S. Than Ford F-Series Trucks, Says NSSF
The National Shooting Sports Foundation recently released a report indicating that modern sporting rifles are more abundant than even Ford F-Series trucks.
In the report, the NSSF estimates that over 24 million MSRs are currently in circulation in the U.S. That represents an increase of over 4.5 million since the last estimate in 2020.
MSR is a term coined to describe semi-automatic rifle designs such as the AR-15 and its siblings.
The NSSF says this figure shows just how popular this style of firearm is among Americans.
“This is a truly significant figure that demonstrates – again – the popularity of this commonly-owned style of rifle,” NSSF President and CEO Joe Bartozzi said in a news release.
“The firearm industry responds to market demand and this shows that during the elevated period of firearm sales that began in 2020, this particular style of rifle is the top choice for law-abiding citizens for hunting, recreational shooting, and self-defense.”
The NSSF also notes that the MSR remains America’s most popular selling centerfire semi-automatic rifle.
What do you think of the headlines above? Let us know in the comments. Also, catch up on other Weekly Wraps or news in our News Category.
14 Leave a Reply
HOW, in ANY WAY, are gun manufacturers 'responsible' for seized firearms?
Speaking as a gun owner AND SHOOTER SINCE AGE 12 YEARS OLD AND A 30 YR CAREER AS A STATE TROOPER... we have way too many gun laws, what is needed is the enforcement of those laws already on the Books. Most all weapons charges are plea bargained away in courts at every level. Quid Pro QUO.... We'll plea guilty if you drop the gun charge!!!! Folk's it is that way everyday in America, just to speed up the Courts!! And prevent over crowding in the Penal System. So if your neighborhood isn't safe, don't blame your police officers. This attitude is rampant in court systems. And since the recent ''woke crowd'' wants to change names on every thing. My AR's are now Cordless Hole Punchers! Ha ha! ;)~~~~~ Consider this way, A large portion of the citizenry have guns. The rest of them can't figure out which toilet to use... Just who do you think would win?
yes they dont want to deal with the the real problem like chicago not gun violence but gang violence if you get pulled down you have been convicted of a felony or your caught during a crime with a firearm it should be 10 years behind bars its just common sense
AP recommends dropping the term Assault Weapon for the much scarier and even more ridiculous “Weapons of War”
"Gun Makers Responsible for Half of Stolen Seized Guns"
'Auto makers responsible for half of all stolen cars'.
QUOTE: Pro-gun groups like the Second Amendment Foundation said the decision to ditch the terms should help build trust in the media.
Build trust my arse. They'll start using the term semi-auto and automatic because they are not all AK's and AR's so they can crucify the guns and owners even more.
"Gun Makers Responsible for Half of Seized Guns"
Breaking Story: Lawfully acting gun makers make guns lawfully.
So when can we start holding lawfully acting car makers responsible for drunk driver car accidents?
There are over 2 million people seriously injured (not killed) in operator caused car accidents annually. About 1.2 million die later in life due to complications from those serious injuries but they don't count as car accident deaths. So let's be able to sue car manufacturers for that too.
This whole thing is stupid. Gun makers are not responsible because someone decides to misuse the product.
We've become a 'blame everyone else except the one who did it' country under the democrats.
Well you have to admit, democrats are following their leader, Traitor Joe Biden very closely. He blames Putin and Republicans in office, instead of himself for all the messes he has made, he even blamed oil rain for his cancer, that he doesn't have, instead of mother nature. His blind followers are going to blame the firearms manufactures, instead of the criminals that robbed the firearms from someplace or were smuggled in over the southern border, then used them to commit crimes. Democrats have ZERO % common sense between all of them put together, in any office position. Traitor Joe Biden has a tiny dust bunny in his head, for a brain, small, soft n fluffy, but it falls apart if he tries to do anything with it.
If only they meant it when they said "root causes". A casual examination of gun violence statistics shows that the vast majority of such crimes are committed in low-income, urban neighborhoods by young people who live there. Considering the majority of such offenders are under 21 we know that most of the guns used weren't obtained legally so changing the rules for legal purchase and possession won't improve the situation. Figuring out why such people choose violent crime would be far more helpful.
So...over half the handguns seized were manufactured by 5 of the top firearms manufacturers. Color me shocked.
I saw a video on YouTube a while back from IV8888 called the top 5 guns found in evidence lockers. The common theme was cheap.
Sarcastic Teal deers:
1. SHOCKING: Large percent of US homicides perpetrated using handguns that make up large percentage of US market.
2. Also shocking: criminals don't follow the law.
3. AP realizes their gun rhetoric isn't working? Time to change words but nothing else.
4. If course there are more ARs than trucks. Have you seen gas prices?
"“Any of us at any point in time will receive a phone call about a homicide, and 99.9% of the time, it relates to a gun,” Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott told GMA."
1: Prove that number isn't made up.
2: 100% of the time, it relates to a human committing a crime. But focusing on the root cause doesn't help advance your tyrannical agenda, does it?