ATF Releases US Firearms Trace Data for 2013
Following the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives recently released 2013 international firearms trace data, the ATF last week released aggregated firearms trace data for all US states and territories for calendar year 2013. Firearm traces provide critical investigative leads to law enforcement and can link a suspect to a firearm in a criminal investigation, identify potential traffickers, and detect local, interstate and international patterns in the sources and types of crime guns. Traces provide information on the movement of a crime gun from the manufacturer or importer through distributors and ultimately to the retail point of sale and purchaser.
The 2013 report includes a state-by-state breakdown of types and calibers of firearms recovered and traced, source states, criminal offenses associated with the crime guns, time-to-crime, and age ranges of crime gun possessors at the time of recovery. Key findings of this year’s report include pistols as the most common firearm type recovered and traced, 9 mm as the top caliber recovered and traced, and 11.08 years as the average time-to-crime for crime guns recovered and traced in the U.S. and its territories. Continue reading
NSSF Video: Gun Crimes Plummet Even as Gun Sales Rise
A majority of Americans say they think gun crime has increased over the past 20 years, even though it has actually fallen dramatically, a recent Pew Research Center survey shows.
Sources: DOJ, ATF AFMER & USITC, Pew Research Center, National Safety Council, Gallup
Multi-Agency Gang (MAG) Unit Investigation Leads to Federal Indictment of FnD Gang Members, Including Two Who Are Charged with the Mother’s Day Shooting
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Kenneth Allen Polite, Jr., announced the recent unsealing of a superseding indictment charging members of the Frenchmen/Derbigny gang, or “FnD,” with violating federal drug and firearm laws. A federal grand jury returned the superseding indictment on February 27, 2014, charging TRAVIS SCOTT, a/k/a “Trap” or “Slim,” age 29; STANLEY SCOTT, a/k/a “Stizzle,” age 22; SHAWN SCOTT, a/k/a “Shizzle,” age 25; AKEIN SCOTT, a/k/a “Keemy,” age 20; JEREMIAH JACKSON, a/k/a “Rocky,” age 23; GRALEN BENSON, a/k/a “Dooley,” age 26; BRIAN BENSON, a/k/a “Dub” or “Dubba,” age 24; CRYSTAL SCOTT, a/k/a “Chris,” age 32; and RICHMOND SMITH, a/k/a “Ace,” age 25, with various violations of the Federal Controlled Substances Act and the Federal Gun Control Act.
According to the superseding indictment, the Frenchmen/Derbigny gang conspired from 2006 through 2013 to violate federal drug distribution laws. The superseding indictment also alleges that some of the members, TRAVIS SCOTT, STANLEY SCOTT, SHAWN SCOTT, AKEIN SCOTT, JEREMIAH JACKSON, GRALEN BENSON, and RICHMOND SMITH, conspired to possess and use firearms in furtherance of the drug distribution operation. The superseding indictment specifically alleges that AKEIN SCOTT and his brother,SHAWN SCOTT, discharged firearms into a Mother’s Day second-line parade on May 12, 2013, in furtherance of that drug conspiracy. As part of this overall federal gang indictment and with the full cooperation of the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office, the United States Attorney’s Office will be adopting the firearms and drug charges that are currently pending in state court on the individual gang members in an effort to avoid a duplication of resources.
If convicted for violating federal drug conspiracy laws, the charged individuals face a maximum penalty of life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, and at least five years of supervised release. Those individuals charged with conspiring to possess firearms in furtherance of the drug distribution conspiracy face a maximum twenty years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release.
This superseding indictment represents a coordinated effort of federal and state law enforcement authorities within the Multi-Agency Gang (“MAG”) Unit. Federal agents and New Orleans Police Department officers assigned to the MAG Unit arrested GRALEN BENSON and JEREMIAH JACKSON on March 7, 2014. BRIAN BENSON was arrested by the MAG Unit on March 10, 2014. TRAVIS SCOTT is presently in federal custody, while STANLEY SCOTT, SHAWN SCOTT, and AKEIN SCOTT are currently in state custody. RICHMOND SMITH and CRYSTAL SCOTT are still at large.
U. S. Attorney Polite thanked all members of the MAG Unit for their contributions to this investigation and prosecution.
“Following one of the most despicable shootings in our city’s recent history, our federal, state and local law enforcement partners collaborated in an unprecedented fashion to identify the allegedly responsible individuals,” stated U.S. Attorney Polite. “This superseding indictment reflects the results of the MAG Unit’s outstanding work. Let this be a signal to the entire community: those who terrorize our streets through drug trafficking and gun violence will be brought to justice.”
ATF Special Agent in Charge Phil Durham stated, “Since the day of this horrendous crime where 19 people were shot while attending a parade celebrating Mother’s Day, ATF Special Agents assigned to the MAG Unit have worked around the clock with investigators and prosecutors to see that those involved are held accountable for their actions. ATF will continue to dedicate our resources to targeting and reducing violent crime in the City of New Orleans.”
NOPD Superintendent Ronal Serpas said, “The collaboration of all partners in the Multi-Agency Gang (MAG) Unit has proven to be undeniably effective in getting some of the city’s most violent criminals out of our neighborhoods. In some cases, innocent people felt they were being held hostage by fear of illegal activities that were prevalent in their communities. These indictments are proof that the game has changed. As a team – we are focused and we are unrelenting.”
U. S. Attorney Polite reiterated that the superseding indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendants must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
ATF Special Agents assigned to the MAG Unit are the lead case agents. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Payne and Special Assistant United States Attorney Brian Ebarb, who is assigned from the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office.
Costas Doubles Down on Anti-Gun Statements
By now, pretty much everyone has seen (or at least heard about) Bob Costas’ NFL Sunday Night Football gun control diatribe spouted as two families and countless friends mourned the murder/suicide involving Kansas City Chiefs’ Javon Belcher. While this may or may not qualify as a genuine “tragedy,” it is unfortunate that people like Costas take the “never let a tragedy go to waste” cliche to heart and use it as a means to push their own political agendas and viewpoints. It is also unfortunate that such an anti-gun viewpoint was pushed during prime time television on NBC Sports, one of the major sponsors of the upcoming NSSF Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trades (SHOT) Show.
For those of you who may not have seen or heard Costas’ anti-gun statements: Continue reading
NSSF Matches ATF Reward in NY, SC Firearms Theft Cases
The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the trade association for the firearms industry, is once again offering its resources in conjunction with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) to help bring criminals to justice in a pair of firearms thefts. NSSF has offered a reward of up to $5,000 – matching the reward offered by BATFE – for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the theft of firearms in New York and South Carolina.
The first theft involved the theft of 10 firearms during a November 1, 2012, burglary at the Guns and Gold Trading Post in North Charleston, SC. According to the ATF release, three individuals crashed their vehicle through the storefront before absconding with the firearms.
The second, presumably unrelated, incident occurred on November 24, when thieves made off with 62 firearms from Tom’s Guns and Ammo in Sodus, NY. The ATF release may be found here.
ATF and local law enforcement are investigating the thefts in both cases and are seeking information from the public that would lead to the resolution of these investigations.
The matching reward payment by NSSF will be granted following payment of the initial ATF reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the crime.
Any information regarding this burglary should be reported to the ATF hotline at 1-800-ATF-GUNS (1-800-283-4867). The ATF hotline is toll-free, and all information will be treated confidentially. Callers will remain anonymous upon request.
About NSSF
The National Shooting Sports Foundation is the trade association for the firearms industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of more than 7,000 manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations and publishers. For more information, log on to www.nssf.org.
Latest Drop in U.S. Murder Rate Will Confound Critics of Self-Defense Laws
From NRA-ILA:
Giving a positive character to the old expression, “same old stuff,” this week the FBI preliminarily reported that violent crime has dropped yet again – for the 18th time in the last 20 years. According to the report, the estimated annual number of murders dropped 1.9 percent from 2010 to 2011 which, given the increase in the U.S. population during the year, would translate into a drop of between 2.5-3 percent in the per capita rate of murders.
The FBI is expected to report the final 2011 figures around the end of the summer. Assuming those figures match the current estimates, the nation’s murder rate has been cut by about 53 percent and the total violent crime rate has been cut by about 49 percent since 1991, when violent crime hit an all-time high. Stated another way, the nation’s murder rate has fallen to about a 48-year low, and the nation’s total violent crime rate has fallen to about a 41-year low. Continue reading
