[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Pages 14265-14266]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                        GUNRUNNING IN THE STATES

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, two new studies just released show that 
states with a high concentration of gun industry activity and weak gun 
laws tend to be the major suppliers of crime guns in other states.
  On June 28, 2000, the Violence Policy Center (VPC) released Gunland 
USA, a study which ranks states by their level of gun industry 
activity. For each state VPC reported the number of gun shows, licensed 
firearms retailers (including pawnshops), manufacturers

[[Page 14266]]

producing firearms, and licensed machine gun dealers as well as the 
number of registered machine guns. In each of these categories, Texas 
ranks number one. Other states that showed a very high level of gun 
industry presence were California, Florida, Illinois, Georgia and Ohio.
  People in my state of Michigan may wonder how activity in other 
states like Illinois or Georgia affects them at home. A study released 
by Senator Schumer entitled War Between the States explains that many 
of the crime guns used in Michigan come from out of state. Interstate 
gunrunners acquire guns in states with weak laws and flood the markets 
in specific states and regions that have stricter gun laws. According 
to this report, states such as Texas, California, Florida, Georgia, and 
Ohio--the same states with high levels of gun industry activity--are 
the major suppliers of guns used to commit crimes in other states with 
tougher gun laws. The study cites Michigan as a state ``with strict gun 
laws'' and as one with 41% of guns traced to crime coming from other 
states such as Ohio and Georgia.
  These findings demonstrate the need to tighten our national gun laws. 
Without national standards, states with a high level of gun industry 
presence and weak gun laws will continue to serve as major suppliers 
for gunrunners who traffic guns to states with tougher gun laws--states 
like Michigan. We must close the loopholes in our national framework 
for firearms distribution by among other things closing the gun show 
loophole.

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