Juan Carlos posted:
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But yes, the idea that we'll "hinder" them any further than upping their costs marginally is absurd. These are organizations that bring in millions upon millions of dollars and apparently have no trouble moving illegal goods across international borders by land, sea, and air. If their guns weren't coming (however indirectly) from a sporting goods store or gun show in the U.S., they'd be coming from a freighter straight from China.
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I can't remember the year, but I seem to recall it was circa 1997 when our govt. caught a shipment from China of full auto AK-47's coming into Los Angeles on a ship. Who were those for? How many had come in prior to us catching ONE shipment? How many have made it in since then? Who is buying them? Who is selling them? These are questions I never heard answered back then.
Juan, you are absolutely spot on with your analysis. The black market is very adaptable and flexible. If you cut off one arm it immediately grows another if not two. It's a profit and loss market like any legal one and operates on the principles of supply and demand. It also keeps an eye on the "legal" markets to adjust its own behavior. So, if the "legal" market tightens up the supply of guns, while the demand remains the same, the price in the legal market goes up. The black market may then have an opportunity to reap some profits by replacing some of the lost supply to fill the demand. It's econ 101. For the stupid people like Jimmy Carter, what is it that you don't understand about how markets, including black markets, work?
Edited to add: The year was 1996 and it was Oakland, not LA. My error and my apologies for it.