The ground-breaking analysis shows that 74 percent of all crime guns recovered by law enforcement originated out-of-state, and nearly nine out of 10 (86 percent) of recovered handguns come from out-of-state. In Buffalo in particular, 59 percent of recovered guns originated out-of-state (with the largest number of out-of-state guns originating from Ohio); 78 percent of all recovered handguns in Buffalo came from out-of-state.
The report released this week, “Target on Trafficking: Analysis of New York Crime Guns,” and the new interactive tool examine the purchase history of the nearly 53,000 crime guns recovered by law enforcement in New York between 2010 and 2015. A crime gun is any gun connected to a crime that is recovered by law enforcement.
“The gun violence epidemic has touched the lives of far too many Buffalo families,” said Attorney General Schneiderman. “I am proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with law enforcement and other local leaders to put a spotlight on illegal guns pouring into Buffalo from out of state. With this new gun trafficking data we have released, police and community leaders have a powerful new tool in our fight to rid our state of illegal guns.”
“The Niagara Falls Police Department is committed to getting illegal guns off our streets,” said Superintendent Bryan DalPorto. “We appreciate the Attorney General’s willingness to dive into the data, and report on gun trafficking trends. In order to eliminate gun violence, law enforcement needs to continue to work together.”
“Reducing gun violence remains a top priority for the Buffalo Police Department,” said Police Commissioner Daniel Derenda. “Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s report and Tracing Analytics Platform will assist in our effort, and we thank him for his support.”
“This report makes it clear that decisions made by policy makers in other states are resulting in senseless violence and the tragic loss of life in cities like Rochester,” said Rochester Mayor Lovely A. Warren. “As the granddaughter of a shooting victim, I have first-hand experience with the pain and trauma that gun violence brings to our families, so I want to thank Attorney General Eric Schneiderman for shining a light on the important issue of gun trafficking. I hope the evidence that is presented here leads to common-sense gun regulations at the federal level so we can even the playing field across state borders.”
“On behalf of the Rochester Police Department, I thank the Attorney General for issuing this report on crime guns,” said Rochester Police Chief Michael Ciminelli. “This analysis and the data compiled by the Attorney General’s Office will be used to bolster our efforts to reduce gun violence in the City.”
Rochester’s gun problem is unique in the state – it is the only region in the entire state without a majority of crime guns coming from out-of-state, but also has the highest percentage of low “time-to-crime” guns.
- 4,536 Total Gun Recoveries
- 44% of Guns From Out-of-State (30 points lower than state average)
- 56% of Handguns From Out-of-State
- 23% are Low “Time-to-Crime” Guns, the Highest in the State
Monroe County law enforcement recovered 4,536 crime guns — or 9% of all recoveries in the State. Rochester is unique among the markets with the highest percentage of low “time-to-crime” guns, the lowest percentage of guns originating out-of-state, and the lowest percentage of handguns compared to the State average.
Just one zip code in Rochester (14621) accounted for 22% of recoveries in the region. Two additional zip codes (14611 and 14609) contributed another 21% of recoveries.
Rochester, with 165 likely-trafficked guns and the largest percentage of in-state gun contributions, still gets its likely-trafficked guns from Pipeline states. The same source states top the list – Georgia (20%), Florida (15%), and Pennsylvania (11%). Rochester had the lowest proportion of guns that were handguns, with 87%.
In collaboration with the Rochester Police Department, the Office of the Attorney General is hosting a Community Gun Buy-Back in Rochester this Saturday, October 29, 2016. One of the benefits of a gun buy-back event is for anyone to sell a gun with no questions asked. Possessing a handgun without a pistol permit is illegal. Unwanted guns can sit around for years or go missing, creating both a public safety and public policy problem if they end up in the hands of kids, grandkids, or violent criminals.
See the full flyer for the Community Gun Buy-Back here.
The Attorney General’s office is the first statewide law enforcement agency to obtain and analyze such comprehensive crime gun data provided by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).
The analysis showed sweeping and important trends in gun recoveries, particularly with regard to how out-of-state guns are flooding into New York from the “Iron Pipeline” — states with lax guns laws along the I-95 corridor, namely Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida – as well as from Ohio. These findings offer significant policy implications and context for state and national leaders striving to reduce gun trafficking and violence.
“Attorney General Schneiderman’s new report makes it clear that we urgently need to make gun trafficking a federal crime,” said U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY). “Gun trafficking is recognized all around, by both parties, as a major source of fuel for American gun violence, yet there is still no federal law that prevents someone from crossing state lines with a truckload of guns and selling them to criminals in a parking lot. As long as gun trafficking is not a federal crime, it will continue to be shamefully easy for criminals to get their hands on these weapons, and law enforcement won’t have the tools they need to prosecute traffickers and remove these illegal guns from the black market. My gun trafficking bill is one of the only gun bills that has bipartisan support – and this is despite the efforts of the gun industry and its powerful lobby to protect their own profits and stop us. The American people are demanding that Congress respond to the gun violence crisis, and my bipartisan gun trafficking bill is an important part of that response.”
In Erie County, guns come in from Ohio much more readily than in other parts of the state.
- 4,509 Total Gun Recoveries
- 59% of Recovered Guns Were From Out-of-State
- 78% of Handguns Were From Out-of-State
- 94% of Guns That Were Likely-Trafficked to Buffalo Were Handguns
While Niagara County had far fewer gun recoveries overall, their obtainment of guns is very similar to Buffalo:
- 746 Total Gun Recoveries
- 54%, Or Over Half, of Guns Recovered Came From Out-of-State
- 78% of Handguns Were From Out-of-State
- Handguns made up more than 85 % of the likely trafficked guns in the county
As the second largest market for crime guns in New York State, Buffalo and neighboring Niagara Falls (Erie and Niagara Counties) together recovered 5,255 crime guns (10%) of total statewide recoveries. Buffalo also has the second highest number of low time-to-crime recoveries (605) and likely-trafficked guns (424).
Buffalo recovered 3,076 handguns, making it the third largest market for handguns in the State, with handguns making up 59% of recoveries in the market. Erie County showed a high per capita recovery rate of 82 guns per 100,000 residents, with Niagara lower at 58 per 100,000.
Five zip codes (14215, 14211, 14213, 14207, 14212) accounted for almost 50% of the region’s recoveries, or 2,476 guns. These recoveries were located in or around the City of Buffalo and had a slightly higher average out-of-state percentage than the rest of the market.
In addition to unprecedented data on trafficking patterns, the Attorney General’s report also provides key policy recommendations to deal with the trafficking challenges faced by New York State, including:
- Congress should require universal background checks and close the “gun show loophole.”
- Congress should make gun trafficking a federal crime; there is currently no comprehensive law that criminalizes each stage of illegal gun trafficking.
- Congress should expand access to aggregate trace data so non-law enforcement actors can analyze crime gun data to make more informed decisions about gun laws and law enforcement strategies.
- States should require licenses to own handguns.
- New York should pass the Gun Kingpin Bill to punish traffickers so severely (up to 25 years to life in prison) that the business becomes too risky a proposition.
This report was prepared by Senior Advisor and Special Counsel Nicholas Suplina, Director of Research and Analytics Lacey Keller, and Data Scientist Meredith McCarron.
