Having a blast, driving fast
Why It’s Easier to Buy Guns Than Gas
By Shea Andersen, 3-10-06
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We're well armed out here in the New West, which should surprise no one. But juxtapositions can be entertaining. For a few summers I lived in a small town in central Idaho that, I loved to point out, had more dogs than people and more bars than churches. Which made it a very comfortable place indeed.
But some stats can make you wonder: today we find out that the Northern Rockies territories of Montana, Idaho and Wyoming are among the five states that have more gun dealers than gas stations. (Oregon and Alaska are the other two)
Part of me loves this stat: it means our priorities are on hunting, not aimless driving. It means we have fewer roads, perhaps, and more wilderness.
Or it just means we've got more people with itchy trigger fingers. I, of course, would never suggest this to any of my well-armed neighbors.
The report comes from the Violence Policy Center, and their organization's name should give you some indication of how they feel about this bit of information.
To read the report, go here.
They are celebrating, overall, the news that the number of gun dealers nationwide has dropped a fair bit since they began tracking their numbers, in 1992.
"The sharp drop in gun dealers is one of the most important—and little noticed—victories in the effort to reduce firearms violence in America. The dramatic drop in dealers aids not only federal law enforcement, but cities and states as they continue their efforts to reduce illegal firearms trafficking and firearms violence," said VPC Policy Analyst Marty Langley.
The Coeur d'Alene Press had the news first, and you'll find the wire picking up their story a fair bit. The reporter writes that Idaho is "still far from shedding its Old West, free spirit and hunter's paradise image."
(Hard to argue. Somehow I got a free copy of Sunset Magazine sent to my house this week (and my garden, I've decided, looks just atrocious) and in the back, where states do their tourism advertising, Idaho has nary an entry. Oregon, Washington, California all splatter the pages with families cavorting amongst scenic wonders that, I sometimes think, just don't match up to Idaho's. Would I find the same advertising paucity in a hunting magazine? I'll get back to you on that.)
Back to the study. The number of gun dealers in Idaho has made a huge drop in the last ten years, something VPC celebrates. Their target are the fly-by-night owners of FFL's, Federal Firearms Licenses, that make it easier for criminals, or irresponsible gun aficionadoes, to get guns.
The C d'A Press also cornered a few gun dealers, and had this enlightening quote from one:
"Without a doubt, it's a case of quality vs. quantity," said Ed Santos, owner of Center Target Sports in Post Falls. "You have to realize that years ago obtaining an FFL was easy and now there's more restrictions."
Quality versus quantity. Let us hope Santos is right. I may sleep better, and feel less compelled to wear bright clothing.
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Comments
If you can believe their propaganda, you would want to move to the U.K. where gun ownership is basically forbidden except to a special few. The trouble is that the crime rate, especially what is now called "gun crime" has drastically increased. How could that happen?
Look at crime rates in the states where concealed carry of those "evil" handguns is allowed. For some strange reason, crime is down, not up.
Once upon a time, bad people sold whiskey and guns to the Indians. That was illegal but it was done. Today, bad people sell guns to people who are usually not allowed to possess them. That is illegal also. The connection between the two events is that bad people do bad things. The good people, most of us, should be able to protect ourselves against the bad guys.
The Violence Policy Center wants to make it illegal for you to protect yourself. Not just against the bad guys, but from any violent threat. Are there still mountain lions out there in the New West? Or how about the dog who suddenly turns on its keepers and ruins the face of a small child? Maybe Shea prefers to be a victim. And maybe her neighbor down the road may save her from a violent attack because he/she can own a gun.
Historically all legisation does is limit, deprive, or make it extremely difficult for a person who would not have abused the privelage, the right to that ownership. Those that abuse the item legislated would never go through the process, and obtain the item quickly ilegally.
1. Instituted more rigorous background checks and waiting periods to buy gasoline, or
2. Stopped requiring those for gun purchases.
I guess I missed the headlines when that bill was passed.
Hang on now, judging from this title its still legal to kill people with your car.
Heaven forbid you should have to get a back ground check before driving through a crowded campus break area!
I know for certain there's a cop on every corner in Idaho. on his horse waiting patiently to come to your aid!
VPC and the other anti-gun fanatics spout stats that mean fundamentally nothing in terms of their (VPC's) alleged purpose. To wit: more gun dealers does not mean more crime.
And innuendo about "itchy trigger fingers" isn't supported by the facts either.
Bottom line: Shea and VPC have proven nothing, except that they are willing to use nonsense to confuse and recruit the ininformed and the unreasonably fearful into their warped world view.
THANK GOD I LIVE IN IDAHO!
This Wanker is problably one of those wannabe country bumbkins who moved out to MT from California, to dictate to the MT people how evil there guns are. Please buddy, move back to wherever it is you came from because MT is just FINE. Perhapos you should be more interested in the Gang mambers killing people on a daily basis all across this country, who don't buy there weapons from legitamate gun stores, because of the background checks and procedures the prevent criminals from purchasing guns from and FFL Dealer.
We don't have the right to voice our opinion too ?
I guess you can always go for a drive.
Got gasoline ?
Why are there so many people in this country who think that the police or the government will protect them 24/7?
As a citizen (not a subject)it is the responsibility of each of us to be armed.
It isn't only the criminals we need to defend ourselves from but the government (ours)and the New world order crowd also!
Why don't they trust their own people?
Why are so many trying to enslave us? Why do we have to be like them ? Anamosity? you hate what you don't have.
Freedom...
It isn't free, some of us for some reason belive its worth defending!
why don't you?
So much for the NRA's argument that it's "more guns = less crime".
NJ: 8.4 million people, 370 firearm-related deaths in 2001 (most of them take place in Camden and Newark)
New Mexico: 1.8 million people, 307 firearm-related deaths in 2002 (nothing remotely like a Camden or a Newark in New Mexico)
Idaho: 1.4 million people, 163 firearm-related deaths in 2002 (lotsa farms, no Camdens)
(Center for Disease Control Stats)
Outside of the cities, NJ (not a gun-culture state) is about twice as safe as both New Mexico
and Idaho (to take just two gun-culture states for examples).
Fact is that while crime overall is down, and I won't go into the cooking of the books via the Feds Incident Based Reporting System, but violent crime in those states WITH concealed carry is down more than in those states who continue to deny their citizens a right to self defense.
Lastly Bent old chump (oops, there I go again) VPC and it's ilk all projected a 'BLOOD BATH IN THE STREETS' and "WILD WEST SHOOTOUTS" when the laws changed to liberalize concealed carry. So while you blather on and on lets not forget that they were waaaay wrong on that: which leads us to question any other claim the gun grabbers might be making this week. The fact is good people carrying firearms became instantly... gasp, good people carrying firearms.
I got it because the wunnerful BATFE (or whatever they call themselves this year) will NOT tell you exactly how MANY firearms you may or may not buy or sell before you are a 'DEALER.' OUld be 2, could be 12.
So, the first clue you might have that they thought you were a dealer in firearms is when you got arrested for being a dealer in firearms. Thus many people obtained FFL's to comply with the law and to avoid prosecution should they buy and sell one too many firearms for the BATF.
The Klinton's decided one way to enact gun control was to cut down on the places selling guns, so they launched the federal collosus into intimidating many of those FFL holders to give up their licenses via harrassment.
So, I actually see this decline in firearms licensees as a sad commentary on the devolution of our freedoms and a terrible missuse of federal power.