Nearly three-quarters of all guns recovered by New York state law enforcement originated outside of the state, and nearly nine out of 10 recovered handguns used by violent criminals come from other states, according to a recent analysis released by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.

The report gathered the purchase history of the nearly 53,000 crime guns recovered by law enforcement in New York from 2010 to 2015. Only 6 percent of guns were recovered from a possessor who was also the original purchaser, according to the report.

“New York’s strong gun laws are being undermined at every turn by lax laws in other states,” Schneiderman said in the release. “Even as we work to make our streets safer, the illegal guns most often used in violent crimes continue to pour into our state.”

In the Syracuse area specifically, law enforcement recovered 2,267 guns during the past five years, with about 60 percent of the region’s guns originating in a state other than New York.

About 25 percent of the recovered guns were from two Syracuse zip codes. There were 241 guns recovered in ZIP code 13204, including the Near Westside and the Lakefront. There were 330 guns recovered in ZIP code 13205, including part of the South Side and the Valley, according to the report.

Mike Serrao, a 28-year Syracuse scout and the owner of Butternut Sport Shop, said the pattern of guns coming from another state is because it’s more difficult to buy a gun in New York, where buyers need to have a permit and pass a background check.

“In other states like Ohio, Florida and Georgia, you can just walk in with your driver license and buy a gun,” Serrao said, adding that he thinks the rules should be the same across the country.

Serrao also said there are many federal laws existing already that would enforce the state laws, but he said he thinks the state should work with the federal government to reduce gun trafficking.

“There are a lot of New York state laws that don’t keep you safe,” Serrao said. “It’s just law-abiding citizens not able to have guns.”

Serrao said he thinks United States President Barack Obama’s approach to having more personnel from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives monitor if the gun shops are violating the law is not helpful. Instead, he said ATF agents should be placed on the streets to search for gunmen.

Katherine Christoffel, professor emeritus at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, said the situation in New York state is not unique because gun trafficking also affects Illinois and other states with stricter laws.

“As long as guns can get to the place and time of violent interactions, the odds of gun death and injury go up,” Christoffel said.

An important step, she added, is to better interdict and prosecute traffickers.

“That will be aided by repeal of the Tiahrt Amendment, restricting access to information on gun sales to law enforcement and other legal processes,” Christoffel said. “This is inconsistent across jurisdictions.”

The best solution, she said, is to apply effective and stricter laws based on the experience of other states and countries. Christoffel said measures like waiting periods, background checks, safe storage requirements and practical experience needed for carrying licenses at the national level could be implemented to address gun trafficking.

“There will always be efforts to smuggle weapons,” Christoffel said. “But there are ways to manage this more effectively.”

Published on November 1, 2016 at 10:22 pm

Contact Chieh: chchen@syr.edu