Rather than wait for gun-trace data, the Washington Post relied on a boast from a member of a gun-trafficking ring to blame Virginia for illegal guns in New York.
“So hats off to Virginia lawmakers for their success in making the commonwealth a place that illegal gun traffickers boast is the absolute best place for them to do business,” WaPo claimed in a March 10 op-ed.
WaPo relied on a wiretap that caught one of those arrested bragging, “I can go get 20 guns from the store tomorrow” in Virginia. The fact is that criminals steal guns or buy them on the streets, rather than try to purchase them at retailers or gun shows, where they must pass a background check. Buying a gun for a prohibited person (“straw purchasing”) is also illegal in Virginia.
On the same weekend, the ATF reported on a 52 percent rise in thefts of guns from gun stores nationwide—including Virginia. Perhaps the Post should wait and see how many of these firearms were stolen or acquired by straw purchasers before they resort to blaming Virginia’s laws.
