A Chicago Congressman exposes how "easy" Indiana Gun Shows are

[DonP]

A week or so old, but still interesting, considering the lies told about the "Gun Show Loophole" in Indiana.

The narrative goes something like this; "Well, Chicago has so much violence because its easy to buy a gun at any Indiana Gun Show with no background check". So Rep. Mikey Quigley went over with some of his staff to prove how "easy" it was and wrote this "sort of " Op Ed about his terrifying experiences and what he discovered.

"Rep. Quigley goes to a gun show

"Gun to the right. No gun to the left" was the greeting heard by attendees entering the cavernous hall in Crown Point, Ind., that hosted the Central Indiana Gun and Knife Show. The Industrial Arts Building on the Lake County Fairgrounds has played host to garden shows and home improvement and craft vendors. But on a recent sunny Sunday afternoon, the rambling, 90-year-old brick building played host to products that were of an altogether different nature. (Cue ominous music here)

As we entered, gun show visitors carrying weapons had to demonstrate to security that their guns were not loaded, while those not carrying could enter without screening. As we paid our $5 entry, we were asked if we resided in Indiana. Being an Illinois resident, I promptly answered "no" and received a hand stamp depicting me as out-of-state. (But, but, but I thought no one checked that? FWIW, if he had said Indiana they would have asked to see his picture ID)

At most tables, you could hear the hagglers looking for a better deal or discussing options for their purchase: "Rifle- or carbine-length?" "Chrome-lined or stainless-steel barrel?" "What about a free-float rail?" The possibilities seemed endless as gun show enthusiasts — including a healthy number from Illinois, judging by the license plates in the parking lot — wandered among dozens of tables offering everything from high-volume magazines and sophisticated scope systems to attachable bipods and customized stocks. (But Mikey, did those Illinois people buy any guns, or just venison jerky?)

A surreal atmosphere within the midst of recent tragedies made me wonder if those at the show were oblivious or all too aware. The gun show returns in September to Crown Point, but given the number of weapons already on the streets of Chicago, I think I'll wait for the next home improvement show before making a return trip." (Well one thing's for sure, none of those gun on your streets came from that gun show did they Mikey?)

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-mike-quigley-indiana-gun-show-perspec-0714-jm-20160713-story.html

For all his whining, Rep. Quigley and his team were not able to buy anything beyond a hot dog, a T-Shirt o an NRA Membership, but I'm guessing they passed on all that. Soooo, I'm not sure what his point was supposed to be, since according to the Illinois State Police the vast majority of crime guns in Chicago come from Illinois and were originally purchased over 6 years ago.

I could be wrong, but I'm thinking this editorial was originally supposed to be an "expose" that didn't happen, but he had already promised the Tribune a story by a deadline. So he drafted this pointless drivel. But, now he knows all about those dangerous "Free Float Rails, that replaced "that shoulder thing that goes up".

The funniest part of his whole editorial is how surprised and shocked he sounds to see guns and gun related stuff ... at a gun show!

[pablo_marmol]

1. !

Thanks for the late-night chuckle, Mr. P!

[Duckhunter935]

2. Lol, what an idiot

[GreydeeThos]

3. I thought all the gun sales took place in the parking lot

Rep Quigley should have gone outside to the parking lot where all those cars with Illinois license plates are. He might have found the crew from Illinois who crossed over the state line to sell their guns in Indiana, where they can get a better price for them.

[ileus]

4. I bet he still knows guns kill people...

and that's all that really "matters"

[Kang Colby]

5. Yawn.

What did he expect to see?

[jmg257]

6. WTF? All the way to Indiana - for a gun? Gunshows are fun, but why bother???

A consistent answer emerges from the inmate surveys and from ethnographic studies. Whether guns that end up being used in crime are purchased, swapped, borrowed, shared or stolen, the most likely source is someone known to the offender, an acquaintance or family member.
...

Also important are “street” sources, such as gang members and drug dealers, which may also entail a prior relationship. Thus, social networks are playing an important role in facilitating transactions, and an individual (such as a gang member) who tends to hang out with people who have guns will find it relatively easy to obtain one.

http://www.newsweek.com/gun-control-where-criminals-get-weapons-412850

And...

A survey conducted by researchers from Duke University and the University of Chicago found that Chicago criminals obtained their firearms almost exclusively from friends and family.

The survey, funded by the Joyce Foundation and set to be published in the October edition of Preventive Medicine, consisted of interviews with 99 inmates at Chicago’s Cook County Jail who had illegally possessed a gun within six months of their incarceration. It found that most criminals only acquired guns from people they knew and trusted.
“It is rare for offenders to buy from licensed dealers, and also rare for them to steal their guns,” the study says. “Rather, the predominant sources of guns to offenders are family, acquaintances, fellow gang members—which is to say, members of their social network.”

So 1400 people in Chicago, a known/listed <1% of the population, are known to be responsible for 80% of the gun violence, mostly using guns they get from the <1%.


Of course these illegal guns originated somewhere:

"all but a tiny fraction of the guns in circulation in the United States are first sold at retail by a gun dealer—including the guns that eventually end up in the hands of criminals...If a gun ends up in criminal use, it is usually after several more transactions. The average age of guns taken from Chicago gangs is over 11 years."...
Effective policing of the underground gun market could help to separate guns from everyday violent crime. Currently it is rare for those who provide guns to offenders to face any legal consequences, and changing that situation will require additional resources directed to a proactive enforcement directed at penetrating the social networks of gun offenders.[/

b]

[Brickbat]

7. "The funniest part of his whole editorial is how surprised and shocked he sounds to see guns and gun

related stuff ... at a gun show!"

This is exactly why I despise articles like this. They're pitched as exposes, and then they end up about as interesting as a city slicker's first trip to the state fair.

[DonP]

9. I'm pretty sure it was supposed to be an "expose"

I have no doubt Quigley actually believed the stories that he could buy a semi-auto "Assault Weapon" at the show and just drive back to Chicago. He saw lots of AR's and AK's etc. but nobody would let him touch them. They were happy to talk to him and answer questions it seems, but nothing for sale.

His objective was for someone to buy a gun bring it back, take some pictures, then turn it in to the police and prove the story. Then write a scathing, self righteous Op Ed demanding an end to the gun show loophole, semi auto guns, et. al..

His only problem was reality bit him in the ass.

[Duckhunter935]

10. My guess he thought he could

Get a fully automatic rifle

[Eleanors38]

11. Well, it was an expose ...of his ignorance.

[virginia mountainman]

13. Remindes me of this, recent howler of an "exposé"..

http://www.cbs46.com/story/30428851/gun-porn-magazines-found-in-easy-access-to-kids#ixzz3rOX8LpL2

In Atlanta Georgia nonetheless!! All they succeeded in exposing was their own very "disconnected" from reality lives that they lead with an accompanying lack of basic knowledge.

ROFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[melm00se]

8. Shocking

[TeddyR]

12. Not terribly surprising

[NaturalHigh]

14. HahaHahaHaha!!!

What will be his next talking point?