Iron Pipeline
The Iron Pipeline is the route in the United States used to smuggle illegal weapons from ten states mostly in the Southern United States[1] to Mid-Atlantic states and New England,[2] particularly states with stricter gun laws such as New York and New Jersey.[3]
Overview
Physically, the term "Iron Pipeline" denotes Interstate Highway 95 and its connector highways. It is dubbed so by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), as well as politicians, law enforcement officials,[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] and organizations such as Mayors Against Illegal Guns. The latter organization produced a report in 2010 based on information provided by ATF, and concluded that "in 2009 ten states (Arizona, California, Georgia, Florida, Indiana, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia) supplied almost half the interstate-trafficked guns recovered at crime scenes".[14]
Impact on the United States
In May 2015, after it was determined that the gun used in the shooting of NYPD officer Brian Moore was stolen from a gun store in Perry, Georgia, US Senator Chuck Schumer from New York called for a "federal crackdown" on the Iron Pipeline. According to WCBS 880, "90 percent of guns recovered at New York City crime scenes come from out-of-state".[15] According to the New York Times, the Iron Pipeline is "one of the biggest factors thwarting New York in its efforts to keep guns off the streets and out of the hands of criminals".[16]
References
- ^ Enos, Sandra L. (2012). "Iron Pipeline". In Gregg Lee Carter (ed.). Guns in American Society: An Encyclopedia of History, Politics, Culture, and the Law. ABC-CLIO. pp. 440–44. ISBN 9780313386701. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
- ^ Wintemute, Garen J. (2002). "Where the Guns Come from: The Gun Industry and Gun Commerce". The Future of Children. 12 (2): 54–71.
- ^ Spitzer, Robert (2015). Guns Across America: Reconciling Gun Rules and Rights. Oxford UP. p. 168. ISBN 9780190228583.
- ^ O'Shaughnessy, Patrice (15 January 2006). "Battling Merchants of Death on City's Streets: In a deadly game of cat and mouse, cops hunt illegal guns coming from out of state". Daily News. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
- ^ Mandell, Meredith; Llorente, Elizabeth. "Smugglers flood N.J. with guns". The Record. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
- ^ White, Lawrence. "The Iron Pipeline of Illegal Guns". Times Union. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
- ^ "NYC police make 'largest-ever gun bust'". Al Jazeera America. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
- ^ Taylor, Marisa. "Gun law loophole could have provided Brinsley's murder weapon, say experts". Al Jazeera America. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
- ^ Feinblatt, John. "Death rides the Iron Pipeline". Daily News. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
- ^ "The Iron Pipeline Thrives". Editorial. The New York Times. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
- ^ Dys, Andrew. "Man pleads guilty in Rock Hill-to-New York City 'Iron Pipeline' case". The Herald. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
- ^ Klein, Allison. "In Study Of Gun Traffic, Va. Stands Out". The Washington Post. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
- ^ Aborn, Richard. "States must unite to put an end to illegal gun trafficking". Opinion. Daily News. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
- ^ "Trekking north: Most guns recovered from crime scenes come from ten lax states". The Economist. 30 September 2010. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
- ^ "Sen. Schumer Demands Crackdown On 'Iron Pipeline' Following NYPD Officer's Death". 6 May 2015. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
- ^ "Shutting down the 'Iron Pipeline'". The New York Times. 8 May 2003. p. A36.