In the wake of yesterday’s shooting incident at the University of Texas — in which a student opened fire and then killed himself — gun control is once again at the forefront of public dialogue, and results from a recent study about gun use show that Virginia could be a focal point in the ongoing debate.
The study — which was released Monday and conducted by Mayors Against Illegal Guns using data from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives — reveals that in 2009, Virginia was the source of a disproportionately large percentage of firearms that were used in crimes in other states.
The data stated that there were 43,254 firearms that crossed state lines before being recovered last year, and of this total, 2,557 were from Virginia. Only two other states, Georgia and Florida, claimed higher numbers of guns used for crimes that occurred in other states. Virginia was also listed in the report as the state with the seventh-highest crime gun export rates in 2009.
In a press release Monday, MAIG stated that to “understand why some states supply more interstate crime guns, the coalition’s report examined the relationship between state gun laws designed to deter illegal firearms trafficking and a state’s export rate.”
The study has generated varied responses across Virginia’s gun control community.
Read the full story at the Daily Cavalier.
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