Charlotte store second on list of guns used for crimes (Washington: sales, gated)

[SunnyKayak]

Hyatt Coin and Gun in Charlotte ranked second nationally for the number of guns sold that were used to commit crimes. Owner Larry Hyatt says he's sorry the store is on the list compiled by The Washington Post but that he operates a legal business that performs all required background checks and encourages responsible ownership.



read more Charlotte store second on list of guns used for crimes (http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/12/15/1911618/store-ranks-2nd-on-crime-gun-list.html - broken link)

[XcapefromNJ]

The original research and data for this story was done by Washington Post reporters. Their story:

U.S. gun dealers with the most firearms traced over the past four years

[vmaxnc]

The store owner has been investigated, apparently several times, and been found to be in compliance with all regulations. As the article says, the huge volume of guns sold means if even a small percentage of those guns, ending up in the wrong hands could amount to an appreciable number.

There's only so much a gun dealer can do to keep criminals from getting guns.

[gvsteve]

He's got a point about sales volume - if a store does a ton of volume, it could wind up on the top of this list even if a smaller percentage of guns sold are used in crimes. A better way of developing this list would be to divide guns used in crimes by the total volume of guns sold at that store. I'm not sure if this information is available, though.

[Nativechief]

There is no blame for a legal store going business in a legal way..This is a non story

[XcapefromNJ]

I am not sure if this quote or something similar is in the Charlotte Observer story, but the Post reporters who compiled the data said:

A high number of guns traced to a store does not necessarily signal wrongdoing. The number of traces a store generates is shaped by many factors, including volume, the type of guns sold, geography and clientele.

Also, think about the number of years the store has been in business. The Charlotte store sadly sold the gun that was used in the murder of 2 Charlotte police officers, but the gun was sold 17 years before the murders, and stolen shortly after it was sold. Hard to blame the store for that one.

actually, on second glance that is a funny quote.. "clinetele" sure, if your customers are criminals then your guns will be used in crimes!

[jwp1983]

Originally Posted by Nativechief

There is no blame for a legal store going business in a legal way..This is a non story

Agreed 100%. Guy does it the right way and that's all he can control.

[Caleb Longstreet]

Originally Posted by Nativechief

There is no blame for a legal store going business in a legal way..This is a non story

Native, you are dead on right. You can't blame him anymore than if someone buys a knife from Wal-Mart and slices someone's throat. Sad? Sure but, you are NOT going to stop someone from acquiring a firearm legally, or otherewise, that is committed to committing a crime.

And the ease of access is BS. Christ, there are over 300,000,000 million guns that we know about. How are you going to manage the access...to that? Answer? You are not. Dont' even try.

If this man did it by the book, nuff' said. He has a right to sell guns as much as bars and restaurants have to sell liquour. As far as any of us know, he did it in accordance with the laws of the State, ATF, and Federal Government.

Case Closed. Or as Native puts it so well. This IS a non story. Bravo

[bugguy]

I've known the Hyatt family for over 40 years.....I wouldn't do business with them, but having said that, they've done nothing wrong or illegal!! Nativechief and others are right in my opinion. You don't blame the car dealership when somebody drives drunk and kills somebody, etc. If I was in the market for a firearm, I'd look no further than City Data's own "Chromekitty"! Their shop is convenient to Charlotte and their reputation is impecable!

[Barkingowl]

Chromekitty's shop is a good place. I've sold a couple guns through them.