Iron Pipeline

The Iron Pipeline is the route in the United States used to smuggle 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 95 (I-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]

On January 5, 2016, president Barack Obama publicly announced executive actions to clarify laws on background checks, and to hire additional ATF and FBI agents. President Obama stated that, "Guns cross state lines as easily as cars do. If your state has strong gun laws but the neighboring state does not have strong gun laws, the guns come into your state. That's called the Iron Pipeline."[17]

Some 500,00 guns are trafficked into Mexico each year. As of January 2, 2023, Mexico has sued the US gun industry−or certain of its members–in two U.S. courts. For all civil plaintiffs, the primary impediment is the 2005 Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act. But numerous public officials have supported such actions via amicus curiae briefs [18]

References
  1. Enos, Sandra L. (2012). "Iron Pipeline". In Carter, Gregg Lee (ed.). Guns in American Society: An Encyclopedia of History, Politics, Culture, and the Law. Santa Barbara, cA: ABC-CLIO. pp. 440–44. ISBN 9780313386701. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  2. Wintemute, Garen J. (2002). "Where the Guns Come from: The Gun Industry and Gun Commerce" (PDF). The Future of Children. 12 (2): 54–71. doi:10.2307/1602738. JSTOR 1602738. PMID 12194613.
  3. Spitzer, Robert (2015). Guns Across America: Reconciling Gun Rules and Rights. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 168. ISBN 9780190228583.
  4. O'Shaughnessy, Patrice (January 15, 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. New York. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  5. Mandell, Meredith; Llorente, Elizabeth. "Smugglers Flood N.J. with Guns". The Record. Woodland Park, NJ. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
  6. White, Lawrence. "The Iron Pipeline of Illegal Guns". Times Union. Albany, NY. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
  7. "NYC Police Make 'Largest-Ever Gun Bust'". Al Jazeera America. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
  8. Taylor, Marisa. "Gun Law Loophole Could Have Provided Brinsley's Murder Weapon, Say Experts". Al Jazeera America. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
  9. Feinblatt, John. "Death Rides the Iron Pipeline". Daily News. New York. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
  10. "The Iron Pipeline Thrives". The New York Times (Editorial). Retrieved February 17, 2015.
  11. Dys, Andrew. "Man Pleads Guilty in Rock Hill-to-New York City 'Iron Pipeline' Case". The Herald. Rock Hill, SC. Archived from the original on February 17, 2015. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
  12. Klein, Allison. "In Study Of Gun Traffic, Va. Stands Out". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
  13. Aborn, Richard. "States Must Unite to Put an End to Illegal Gun Trafficking". Opinion. Daily News. New York. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
  14. "Trekking North: Most Guns Recovered from Crime Scenes Come from Ten Lax States". The Economist. September 30, 2010. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  15. "Sen. Schumer Demands Crackdown on 'Iron Pipeline' Following NYPD Officer's Death". CBS New York. New York: WCBS-AM. May 6, 2015. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  16. "Shutting Down the 'Iron Pipeline'". The New York Times. May 8, 2003. p. A36.
  17. Smith, Aaron (January 19, 2016). "How the Iron Pipeline funnels guns into cities with tough gun laws". CNN. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
  18. 56 Suffolk Law Review 1 (2023).

See also
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