Greg's Corner

Close to 30,000 guns were for sale on Armslist requiring no background check

City Pages in Minnesota is reporting that 28,818 firearms were for sale on Armslist last year in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. If you’re not familiar with Armslist, they are an online classifieds site specifically designed for the sale and trade of firearms. Armslist has been courting controversy since many Armslist buyers and sellers take advantage of a loophole in the law which does not require a background check when a firearm is sold between private individuals. While many sellers on Armslist are licensed gun dealers there are many who aren’t.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGwqMeHqF5I%5D

A gun control advocacy group conducted a study on Armslist and they estimate that 10% of the gun buyers on Armslist couldn’t pass a background check if the buyers tried to buy their firearms from outlets that required the checks. If you apply that to the state of Minnesota, that’s roughly 2800 guns that could have been sold to people looking to circumvent a background check for illegal purposes. Even in a state of 5.6 million people, that’s still too many guns that could potentially fall into the wrong hands.

Armslist’s defenders will claim that most guns used in crimes are purchased on the black market not realizing the irony of their statement. Armslist is part of that chain where guns end up in the black market as they have in Chicago and other locations. All the while, Armslist does very little to discourage the sale of guns to those who shouldn’t be able to own except for a button that buyers have to click that says they’re over 18 and they’re legally able to purchase a gun. Because no one lies on the internet.