How embarassing for the NRA. Even the 2nd source reference gets it wrong, calling it a DoJ memo and then citing what it really is, a study by the Nat'l Institute of Justice. One is a Big Gov agency, the other a think-tank that takes grants & does studies. (They also did
a similar one that examined the efficacy of the Clinton AWB.)
If you will give a reasonable read of the document you will see they are documenting what the prevalent thought process is for simplistic advocates of gun control, then what the actual measures needed are to make such an idiocy work, and then a discussion.
They get grant money sometimes from DoJ but when the result comes out looking like this - as many of the post-Clinton CDC studies did - you'll notice that the DoJ is not very quick to publish and say, "a-HA!"
Finally, 'cause I'm tired, they get their source of illegal gun information from....
drum roll please....
the ATF. If you look at the chart/graphic they provide you'll see that this is not saying 47% of sales are straw purchases, it's 47% of the illegal guns, which is an unknowable number even if you're a Big G agency running sting storefronts in Milwaukee. (sorry, bad example)
Frankly, one of the things that drives despots crazy with the issue of private sales of any kind is that they don't have the widget they can count. They know there are hundreds of millions of firearms out there based on 4473 actions. But - what - about - the - ones - they - don't - know - about ?
It's a study, worthy of a
thorough read, not just the Adobe highlights added by a blog.