The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, joined by community leaders, kicked off a national initiative this weekend that will involve protests, petitions, a code of conduct and lawsuits, in a concentrated effort to “Stop Bad Apple Gun Dealers” in their tracks. “Bad Apple Dealers” are defined those that that turn a blind eye to gun traffickers, straw purchasers and criminals, and flood our nation’s streets with guns used in crimes.

Recent studies show that an astonishing 60 % of guns used in crime come from just 1% of gun dealers.

“These ‘bad apple’ gun dealers choose profits over people and are largely responsible for America’s gun violence problem,” said Dan Gross, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. “We are working to mobilize communities directly impacted every day by the guns these bad apple dealers put on their streets to demand change. We are all fed up with the violence in our communities and this is something that we can all do to make a real difference – to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and to keep our children safe.”

The campaign kicked-off outside Chuck’s Gun Shop & Pistol Range in Riverdale, Illinois, which has been the source of thousands of guns recovered in crimes in Chicago. Chuck’s alone accounts for 8% of the total number of guns that were recovered and traced to crimes in Chicago in the last 5 years. Chicago has become a hotbed of gun violence, with a sharp uptick in the number of shootings despite an overall drop in crime, including homicides.

City officials and law enforcement have attributed the uptick in gun violence to the volume of illegal guns available.

Joining the Brady Campaign at the kick-off event were Representative Danny Davis (IL-7), Bishop James Dukes of the National Action Network (NAN), Father Michael L. Pfleger of Saint Sabina Church, Mark Walsh, campaign director at the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence (ICHV), and Carolyn and Thomas Wortham, parents of Officer Thomas Wortham IV, who was shot by a gun obtained in a straw purchase.

On Monday, Brady will continue the campaign in Philadelphia, by filing a lawsuit against a “bad apple” dealer related to a straw purchase that led to the death of a police officer. In the coming months, additional protests are scheduled and other lawsuits will be filed across the country.

“Most gun dealers are responsible business people, but the ‘bad apple’ gun dealers who choose to profit off the criminal market need to be held accountable for the gun violence they contribute to in our communities,” said Jonathan Lowy, director of the Brady Center’s Legal Action Project.

For 25 years, the Brady Center has filed lawsuits to hold “Bad Apple” gun dealers accountable for their irresponsible business practices. In Wortham v. Ed’s Pawn Shop, Brady sued on behalf of the parents of Thomas Wortham IV, a Chicago Police Officer, Iraq War veteran and community leader who was shot and killed by gang members outside his parents’ home. (The handgun used in the murder was purchased by a straw buyer at a Mississippi pawn shop, which now videotapes its sales as a result of the lawsuit.)

They know targeting troubled gun dealerships is effective, and they’re prepared to do what it takes to shut down the worst offenders. “Brady Center lawsuits have stopped gun dealers from selling guns to straw purchasers and traffickers, forced bad actors out of business, and sent a resounding message to the gun industry that it must clean up its act,” said Mr. Lowy.

The “Stop Bad Apple Gun Dealers” Campaign also features a Code of Conduct that gun control advocates want gun dealers across the nation follow. The Code of Conduct defines some policies and practices gun dealers should adopt to prevent the diversion of guns into the illegal market. Each element of the proposed Code has either been suggested by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), imposed as a legal requirement in certain states, accepted by dealers as part of litigation settlements, or urged as a standard by major gun industry trade associations.

Implementing the Code alongside enforcing gun control laws would dramatically decrease the probability that a dealer will be a source of guns for criminals, gun traffickers, straw purchasers and other prohibited or dangerous people.

To learn more about the “Stop Bad Apple Gun Dealers” initiative, a list of pending lawsuits against gun dealers, and the Code of Conduct for responsible gun sales, visit: BradyCampaign.org/StopBadApples

By Hypatia Livingston

"Reserve your right to think, for even to think wrongly is better than not to think at all."Writer, thinker, researcher, philosopher.

One thought on “Brady Campaign Aims To Stop ‘Bad Apple’ Gun Dealers In Their Tracks”
  1. They have cracked down in our area too. Most store owners are okay with it because they want to keep things on the up and up, but there are a handful that were totally against anyone stepping in and trying to tell them how they should run their own shops. Most of those have already hit the news and been caught doing bad things so it is just proof of their shady ways.

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