A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request unearthed a list of which gun stores sell the most crime guns, finding that a vast majority of guns used in crimes are sold by a small fraction of U.S. gun shops, reports USA Today. The largest sellers include Bass Pro Shops and Rural King and Sportsman’s Warehouse – along with some less well-known stores, such as Town Guns in Richmond, Va., and Ammo Bros in Ontario, Calif. Gun stores connected to recent high-profile mass shootings also appear. River City Firearms in Louisville, Ky., sold the AR-15 style rifle used to kill five people and injure several others in the city last spring, and Bud’s Guns in Lexington, Ky, sold the rifle used in the Highland Park, Il., July 4 shooting that killed seven and injured 30 others. The chief gun store lobby criticized the release of the list as part of the Biden Administration’s “name and shame” campaign aimed at gun shops, instead of focusing on criminals.
The criteria for being included on the list is relatively simple: at least 25 guns traced to a crime over a year that were purchased within the past three years. It’s known in law enforcement lingo as “time to crime.” A short period is an indicator of the illegal trafficking of guns. Being listed leads to another layer of scrutiny by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives: Shops must submit additional quarterly reports on used firearm purchases to help expose the secondary market for guns used in crime. Gun violence prevention groups said the release of the list should incentivize shops to get off of it.