Violent crimes from Boston to Washington D.C. and New York have one troubling connection: firearms originally purchased legally in Southern states and illegally transported north to areas with tougher gun restrictions, new research reveals.
Everytown for Gun Safety released findings Tuesday showing how weapons move from authorized retailers to criminal hands through so-called straw purchasers – individuals who legally buy firearms only to sell them illegally. The analysis tracked over 250 firearms acquired during a three-year period from approximately two dozen Academy Sports + Outdoors locations.
While Academy Sports faces no allegations of misconduct and the trafficked weapons represent a fraction of their total sales, gun control advocates argue the cases reveal warning signs that authorized dealers might overlook as thousands of firearms reach people legally barred from purchasing them.
Academy Sports representatives did not respond to requests for comment sent Tuesday to their corporate communications team.
Federal data from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives shows tens of thousands of guns have crossed state lines illegally since 2017. The agency has mapped three primary trafficking corridors: weapons flowing from Southern states with looser regulations to more restrictive jurisdictions.
Most firearms documented in Tuesday’s report traveled from locations like South Carolina and Georgia northward via the Interstate 95 corridor. Additional common routes include the Mississippi River pathway from Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee toward Illinois, plus a southwestern pipeline connecting Arizona and Nevada to California.
ATF statistics indicate fewer than 30% of trafficked firearms since 2017 were recovered outside their purchase state, suggesting opportunities for state and local enforcement to disrupt criminal gun flows, according to advocates.
The research identifies four primary trafficking methods: straw purchases for prohibited buyers, bulk buying for unlicensed resale without background checks, theft from licensed dealers, and theft from vehicles or residences for black market sales.
Since three methods involve licensed sellers, advocates emphasize retailers’ crucial role in prevention efforts.
“Gun trafficking often begins at the sales counter,” stated Eric Tirschwell, executive director of Everytown Law. “This is not an either/or proposition. Straw purchasers and gun traffickers must be prosecuted, and retailers like Academy operating on the front lines also have a critical responsibility to stop gun trafficking when faced with clear red flags.”
Industry representatives acknowledge straw purchasing concerns but note the difficulty in detecting when buyers provide false information about their intentions.
Everytown attorneys tracking straw purchaser prosecutions observed Academy Sports mentioned repeatedly in recent court cases. Though no charges targeted Academy directly, the chain paid $2.5 million in 2023 to families of a serial killer’s victims who illegally obtained weapons at one store, without admitting fault.
Court records detail one case where two straw buyers purchased firearms across Georgia and Texas during 2021 and 2022. Authorities later recovered over two dozen weapons, with nine connected to Washington D.C.-area shootings.
In Arkansas, a defendant admitted guilt last year after acquiring more than 100 guns between September 2020 and January 2021 from three Academy locations, transporting many to New York for resale. At least 12 weapons were recovered in New York City, including one from a minor and another tied to a robbery.
Another case involved four individuals buying 119 firearms from more than a dozen Academy Sports stores around Atlanta in 2020, later transported to Philadelphia. Law enforcement in Philadelphia and New York recovered three of these weapons.
A South Carolina straw purchaser used another person’s credit card to buy four pistols later found in Boston, with one linked to a shooting occurring two weeks after the purchase.
Researchers identified consistent warning signs across cases, including multiple gun purchases, duplicate weapon models, cash transactions, or using others’ credit cards.
“Legal gun owners look at guns as a tool. You don’t go to Home Depot and buy 10 hammers to complete a project,” observed Marianna Mitchem, a senior industry consultant at Everytown and former ATF official.
Mitchem, who departed the agency last year, noted the ATF’s increased focus under the Biden administration on studying trafficking pathways and analyzing crime gun data. Suspicious indicators might include buyers with shopping lists or purchasing multiple identical firearms despite limited gun knowledge.
“It is the responsibility for all gun stores to not sell guns when they have reasonable cause to believe that there is an illegal sale,” she emphasized.
Thomas Chittum, former ATF official and University of Nevada Las Vegas adjunct law professor, advocates for collaborative rather than adversarial relationships between federal authorities and gun retailers.
“The reality is there are red flags that authorities will never see on paperwork,” Chittum explained, emphasizing the need for seller cooperation.
“Most of them are responsible business owners who realize they have a vested interest in keeping guns out of the hands of criminals,” he added.
