Lost - 18 Guns per Day

A report was issued Thursday, by The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, entitled; "Missing Guns - Lost and Dangerous".  The report used data gathered from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF).
The report states that firearms are being reported as lost - before leaving the manufacturer.  Since 2009 16,000 firearms have been lost.  This amounts to an average of 18 missing guns each and every day.  Many of which disappeared just prior to having the serial numbers stamped on them.  This means that they are impossible to trace and obviously, very desirable to criminals.

Shocking as this may be, perhaps the most interesting aspect of this report is the reference to Federal law governing the production of firearms.  At the present there is no law which states the manufactured needs to do anything to secure the plant.  As with any business, there are no Federal statutes or even guidelines concerning the security of the plant.  The firearms manufacturer is treated no different than a toy or cookie manufacturer.  A broken or lost gun is merely treated like any business expense and written off at the end of the year.  (read more)