BALTIMORE'S FLOW OF ILLEGAL GUNS SUPPLIED BY OUT OF STATE SOURCES (NON-DISCRIMINATORY GUN LAWS)

BALTIMORE'S FLOW OF ILLEGAL GUNS SUPPLIED BY OUT OF STATE SOURCES:

WHY CAN'T POLICE AND MD STATE TROOPERS STOP THE FLOW WITHOUT TARGETING BLACK MEN ONLY??


Sources: BALTIMORE SUN, Fox News, WBALTV, Youtube


***** I-Team finds illegal guns in Baltimore coming from out of state


Amid the hot debate over gun laws, the WBAL-TV 11 News I-Team reveals the steep challenge of reducing the supply of guns often used in crimes.

The problem: laws vary state to state.

It wasn't known at the time, but it turns out that a .40-caliber Glock handgun recovered during a traffic stop by Maryland State Police in Anne Arundel County in 2015 was part of a much larger conspiracy to funnel guns from one state to another.

"The firearm came back to a person who purchased it in the state of Georgia," Maryland State Police Sgt. Frank Lopez said.

Lopez runs the state police gun center, which traces guns and performs background checks on people arrested in possession of guns.

The Glock recovered in Anne Arundel County was actually one of 25 guns legally purchased by a man in Georgia, who then sold them to a man in Maryland. The buyer was Jaleel Wulu, an aspiring rapper known as Trill Castro.
The two men were convicted on federal charges of gun trafficking after some of the guns were recovered from other people during criminal investigations.

"This gentleman purchased many firearms, and they were turning up, the majority of them, in Prince George's County," Lopez said.

An unusual pattern? Not at all.

More often than not, guns seized by police in criminal investigations are coming from someplace other than Maryland.
"I would say approximately 60 percent statewide of firearms that are seized by Maryland law enforcement are not Maryland guns, that goes up exponentially in places like Baltimore City and Prince George's County," Lopez said.

Maryland has some of the toughest gun laws in the country. Buyers are required to wait seven days after purchase to actually take possession of a handgun.

There is no instant background check, and buyers are limited to one purchase per month.
Laws are far more lax in states to the south and west.

In West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, background checks are instant, and there is no waiting period and no limit on how many guns you can purchase at once.

The disparity between gun laws state by state complicates the effort to reduce gun violence, currently an urgent priority in Baltimore.

There is no shortage of supply.

Shantay Guy, who runs the Community Mediation organization in Baltimore, said it is not hard to get a gun in Baltimore.

"It's not difficult at all," Guy said. "Not only are those that are involved in intentionally violent activities have quick access to guns, but even those kids that are fearful that if they are not protecting themselves, they could be another victim, but it's easy for them to get guns too."

Earlier this week, the Baltimore City Council opened debate on increasing the penalty for illegal gun possession in Baltimore.

Guy's organization, which files surveillance video of shootings, is taking on a much harder question: How do you head off people from using a gun to resolve conflict and dispute?

"There are a fair amount of folks in our city who have low levels, quite honestly, of emotional intelligence.

I would offer that I am still working on mine," Guy said. "The more folks that we could get involved in this work to help heal rifts and relationships that have been damaged in Baltimore City, the better likelihood we are going to have in significantly reducing the violence in Baltimore City."

To date, just over 1,000 illegal guns have been seized in Baltimore, and more than 520 people have been wounded or killed in gun violence.