WASHINGTON — A new congressional analysis shows widespread "straw purchasing" of firearms. The study by Democratic Sen. Charles Schumer of New York, using statistics provided by the Treasury Department's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, pinpoints 140 "high crime" gun stores across the country from each of which 50 or more firearms legally purchased by people without criminal records later were traced to use in crimes. Of the 35,000 crime guns traced back to... (GunPolicy.org)

PEKIN, Illinois — Donald Fiessinger was the Old Prairie Trading Post's best customer. Week after week, he showed up at the little shop that dealt mostly in used goods, each time picking out a cheap, new semiautomatic pistol from its weapons display case. In two years he bought 65 handguns from the same Pekin store, then advertised them for sale in classified ads at nearly twice the store price. During that time, the Old Prairie Trading Post never notified the U.S.... (GunPolicy.org)

A state legislator wants Utah to keep its hands clean of lawsuits seeking to hold firearms manufacturers liable for gun violence. State Rep. Matthew Throckmorton is drafting a bill to block any state agencies or local governments from joining the spate of recent lawsuits that blame gun companies for the financial and human havoc linked to their products. "[The lawsuits are] a roundabout way of trying to shut down gun manufacturers," said the Springville Republican,... (GunPolicy.org)

WASHINGTON — Firearms bought from a small portion of "high crime" stores are quickly resold and used in thousands of crimes including murder, a U.S. senator said on Tuesday. Gun control advocate Sen. Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said nearly 35,000 guns were traced to 140 so-called high crime gun dealers in the past three years. In only 13 percent of those cases was the criminal the same person who bought the gun. Most of the time, the gun changed hands on the... (GunPolicy.org)