Stoneleigh Emerging Leader Fellow Ashley Johnson is featured by The Pittsburgh Foundation for her work with Brady to track and understand how firearms enter and circulate within communities.
One in five Americans have had a family member fatally shot. And 90% of guns used in crimes originated from only 5% of gun dealers. Those two startling statistics highlight how many lives are forever altered by gun violence in the United States and where the weapons are coming from. […]
Research shows people gain access to guns through a very small subset of gun shops.
Ashley Johnson, Stoneleigh Fellow, Combating Crime Guns Initiative for Brady United, addressed the gun trafficking. She said gun violence is often discussed through the lens of individual behavior, but an important part of the conversation is understanding how firearms enter and circulate within communities. She noted:
- In Pennsylvania, 50% of crime guns traced to in-state dealers were sold by just 1% of dealers, and 90% were sold by 20% of dealers.
- Just 1.2% of Pennsylvania gun dealers were responsible for 57% of crime guns recovered in the state while approximately 86% of gun dealers in Pennsylvania did not have a single firearm traced back to them in a given year.
“Greater transparency around firearm trace data, along with stronger oversight and accountability for firearm dealers, can help policymakers and researchers better understand supply patterns and identify opportunities for prevention,” she said. “Strengthening collaboration between government agencies, researchers and community leaders is an important step toward building more informed and effective responses to violence.”
