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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I just listened to a radio story this morning that was discussing (in part) the Los Angeles gun sale requirements.  I missed some of the details, but I gather that LA started sending letters to people who had started the gun buying process, warning them that straw purchases are illegal and will be prosecuted.  Very quickly, LA found that 40% of prospective gun buyers never returned to complete the buying process.  This only works because there is a waiting period and background check process.[/quote]

Any data showing what the no-return percentage was before the letter campaigns started? I actually think this is a great idea, I just think its effectiveness may be over stated. [/quote]

It was just a quick mention in a radio program that was focused on other topics, so no detailed discussion of the statistical significance.

S/O - A quick search turned up this interesting research paper about illegal gun distribution in Los Angeles - http://www.policeissues.com/Sources.pdf  Some key conclusion quotes are below.
[quote]Our findings portray a considerably different model of gun redistribution
than the literature had led us to expect. Instead of a market predominantly
comprising of petty criminals selling stolen guns, we encountered a setting rich
with licensed and unlicensed entrepreneurs who bought guns directly from
licensed sources in order to satisfy their customers’ craving for new, large-caliber
pistols. Episodes of large scale, commercialized gun diversion seemed
commonplace, with eight instances involving more than 1,000 guns each.
Though much less precise, recovery statistics were equally striking, with eight
cases surpassing the 100-gun threshold.

Dealer corruption emerged as a surprisingly significant source of supply. Gun
tracing disclosed that some retailers had not only failed to account for incoming
guns but also ignored State registration requirements. Malfeasance by licensees
was particularly evident in the casework, as 71 percent (13,667) of the diverted
guns passed through 15 licensed dealers who made unrecorded or misrecorded
sales to individuals and unlicensed vendors.

Concerns that misconduct by just a few retailers can have a disproportionate
impact were advanced during a recent scholarly review of national trace data
(Pierce et al., 1995). Less than one-half of 1 percent of gun dealers were found to
account for nearly 50 percent of all guns traced by ATF (Pierce et al., 1995, p. 15).
Brief lag times (defined as two years or less between sale and recovery) were
associated with less than 3 percent of licensees; these sources, in turn, were
responsible for nearly 28 percent of all traced firearms (Pierce et al., 1995, p. 15).

Concerns about home dealers were well placed. Of the 15 retailers accused in
the casework, only two were commercial gun stores. Ten were home businesses,
while three operated from a hybrid location. It seems that the privacy and
flexibility enjoyed by gun dealers who are licensed to do business from a private
dwelling can make oversight a tough task, indeed (Cook et al., 1995; Larson,
1994).

Many persons who misuse or illegally possess firearms evidently do buy
them in stores. Of the fully traced, 14 percent of guns were recovered from their
first retail buyer. Estimates from offender surveys have pegged self-purchase at
16 to 27 percent (Beck et al., 1993; Wright et al., 1983).

Other than for its brief mention in a study of juvenile gun possession and a
few references elsewhere, the phenomenon of straw purchase has been
overlooked. Surely, buying guns on behalf of another person entails some risk.
But for the end user it offers a simple and relatively safe way to acquire a new
gun without declaring oneself “on paper” (and without, one may add, paying the
markup that a street dealer or corrupt licensee might impose for the privilege of
conducting a paperless transaction).

Some final comments. Short of anointing licensees with psychic powers, there
is little to be done about buyers who commit crimes with guns they lawfully
acquire, or straw purchasers who deliver firearms to prohibited persons. It
seems, though, that a few corrupt dealers and unlicensed vendors – to repeat the
cliché, just a few rotten apples – are responsible for an abundant number of
recovered guns, both as a proximate source and as an conduit to others. Since
traffickers often acquire guns from distributors, monitoring suspicious
purchases at wholesalers – particularly, by home and hybrid dealers – may
prove helpful. Like techniques could be applied at the retailer level to counter the
use of straw buyers by street vendors. But whatever methods are ultimately
employed, there is no doubt that a concerted bid to root out the individuals and
firms who engage in commercialized gun diversion would have a salutary effect
on the gun marketplace. [/quote][/quote]

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