by Alan J Chwick & Joanne D Eisen
USA – -(Ammoland.com)- If someone lies to you to get you to change your vote or your lifestyle, they are not lying for your benefit, but for their own. Lying can be done in many ways, and one of the most insidious is the lie by omission.
These reasonable sounding lies and our ignorance prevents us gun owners from fighting the evils of gun control as one strong united block. We counsel the creation of firearms study groups [like a bible study group, but for gunnies], in your kitchens, your churches, your firing ranges and in your backyard at your next picnic.
The more you know, the stronger we all are.
Firearms Black Market
Before we can even get into the debate on various laws being touted about, we need to break down the some of the ever-present spoilers, like the firearms black market. We need to be able to know and fully understand what the firearms black market is and how it works. That’s so we can bring it out of the closet with conviction.
So let us divert from our intended column on common sense NICS checks and begin to fight back with a big unanswerable question for gun control advocates and many unthinking gun owners, “So, what about the black market for guns?”
No gun control advocate ever says, “This [whatever it is] law will save lives and we need to do something or we’re not good moral people, but, oh, the black market will prevent it from working as promised.” They would never acknowledge that.
How big is the market? The easy answer is as big as necessary. It’s an unfettered free market. The supply will suit the demand.
A closer look suggests that in 1993, New York City was a city of about 7.3 million people. In 1993, according to the Department of Justice OJJDP estimate, there were up to two million illegal guns possessed by city dwellers. Remember NYC gave gun licenses to the rich and connected, and because of the bulldog work of journalist Jo Craven McGinty, we have a figure of 37,000 legally possessed weapons.
By adding 37,000 to 2 million, we come to an estimated total of 2,037,000 guns. Then, by dividing, we find that, if each licensee purchased two guns, only 3.7 % of New York City firearms were “legally owned.” Since only the very well connected are permitted to own more than two weapons, we can conservatively estimate that in 1993, only 5 % of the guns were considered legal in NYC.
That means that the percentage of so-called black market guns, after a century of restrictive laws is a whopping 95%. So much for New York City’s 100+-year-old restrictive gun laws, known as the Sullivan Act of 1911.
We cannot find any recent national number for black market estimates because the powers-that-be keep this information close to the vest and the truth is they can only guesstimate.
Side Read: The harder it is to buy a lawful pistol, the more New Yorkers want to get one.
If we knew the actual number of so-called black market guns, we would also understand that the all-pervasive black market in weapons prevents poorly thought out anti-gun laws from working as promised. Today in New York City, anyone who wants an “illegal” firearm can quickly get one, through the black gun market.
The actual effect of restrictive gun laws is, by practical definition, to transfer legal guns to the illegal market. Everyone who buys a gun on the black market is committing an unlawful act, according to gun banners.
Many bodega owners who could not afford the time and money to apply to the city, knowing that eventually they would be denied their license, use the black market and therefore, commit a felony in order to stay alive and in business.
In Hong Kong with strict firearms laws, Angel Shamaya reports, the penalties are so onerous that only police and criminals own weapons. That is, the illegal guns possessed by criminals are “black market guns.”
Let’s use the term, “black market guns” because it gets very close to the actual truth of lawmaking. Every other name builds the deception that law can control criminals and it is people who need protection from it.
“Proliferation of guns” or “easy availability” of guns is nonsense words! It’s black market guns, and they are here to stay. Here is the Gallant/Eisen expose of the fatal flaw in firearms legislation, “restrict legal channels, and all that will change is the pattern of their availability.”
Dave Kopel et al., describe the global black market in weapons. In Jamaica, the Gun Court Act of 1974 led to a situation in which homemade and black market guns “largely replaced lawfully acquired guns.” In Jamaica today, crime rules.
One cop firmly stated, in The Layman’s Guide to Black Market Firearms, “Ladies and Gentlemen of America, People are always going to have guns available to them, no matter what. Always. Without fail….And the more we try to limit people’s access to guns or anything else, the more money goes into the pockets of criminals…”
We have only presented the tip of the iceberg of black market guns studies ideas. We hope we have broken the path for the curious as it is essential to understand all side of the arguments so we can conclusively prove our point and argue our cause. Firearms safety requires more than finding the intended target without incident. It means protecting the Second Amendment for our children, and beyond.
Knowing about the elephant in the room goes a long way to being able to confront the howling masses. Spread the knowledge.
About the Authors:
Alan J Chwick has been involved with firearms much of his life and is the Retired Managing Coach of the Freeport NY Junior (Marksmanship) Club, Div. of Freeport NY Revolver & Rifle Association, Freeport, NY. He has escaped from New York State to South Carolina and is an SC FFL (Everything 22 and More). – AJChwick@iNCNF.org | TWITTER: @iNCNF @E22andMore
Joanne D Eisen, DDS (Ret.) practiced dentistry on Long Island, NY. She has collaborated and written on firearm politics for the past 30+ years. She has also escaped from New York State but to Virginia. – JoanneDEisen@cs.com