Altogether, taxpayers spend more than $5 billion a year to buy guns and ammunition for our nation’s law enforcement agencies.
That’s a lot of money – not to mention guns and bullets – going to the people whose job it is to keep us safe.
But an analysis by Brady United reveals that millions of these dollars have gone to gun dealers that have been cited for violations of the law. As taxpayers, we’ve all unwittingly patronized dealers around the country that have been cited for a variety of infractions, including these:
- Failing to complete required background check forms
- Neglecting procedures to certify that customers were not prohibited from buying
- Losing customer paperwork essential to law enforcement investigations
- Failing to submit sales reports
Holding firearm dealers accountable locally . . .
In California, 90 law enforcement agencies purchased weapons from firearms dealers that did not follow all gun laws.
Does that mean that the agencies used the weapons improperly? Not necessarily. But taxpayer dollars should not support businesses that fail to meet firearm safety standards. Besides, we’ve all put a lot of time, effort and thought into the gun laws that those dealers aren’t following, so the purchases represent an end-run on the will of the people.
San Diego City Council Member Marni von Wilpert authored the Ira Sharp Firearm Dealer Accountability Act, requiring that gun dealers who bid on city contracts must follow all state and federal firearm laws. The late Ira Sharp was a local gun-reform advocate. Ira and his wife Roseann worked with Never Again CA to ban gun shows at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, which sits on taxpayer supported, state-owned land.
The act takes advantage of the City’s purchasing power to hold gun dealers accountable and raise the bar for responsible firearm sales. Approved in June 2024, San Diego’s ordinance is the first of its kind in the nation to help curb the proliferation of “crime guns.”
. . . and elsewhere
LA Action Police Supply, a vendor with over 40 federal violations, has received $18 million in contracts from 67 agencies across the state.
Taking a page from the City’s playbook, the County of San Diego considered a similar ordinance on firearm procurement. A vote by the Board of Supervisors failed due to a tie vote, but Supervisor Lawson-Remer subsequently recommended the development of a firearm procurement ordinance for board consideration in 2025.
Our neighbors to the north introduced a similar ordinance for consideration by the Los Angeles City Council. By December 2024 the ordinance had passed.
Similar measures have passed in the cities of Oakland and San Francisco.
Four cities. That’s a trend.
If you’re a firearms dealer, know that you’re liable for any infractions in your dealings with law enforcement agencies.
And if you’re a taxpayer in the City of San Diego, rest assured that your money is buying guns and ammunition only from law-abiding dealers.
John White is SD4GVP Treasurer and a board member.
Photo credit: Thayne Tuason, CC-BY-SA-4.0