http://news21blog2008.disqus.com/Reporting from a new generation of journalists.enWed, 12 Mar 2008 10:42:40 -0000http://news21blog.org/2008/03/10/accepting-defeat/#comment-6950975<p>Interesting visual.</p><p>Are you implying that the Thompson submachinegun is the weapon of choice in Alameda County crime? Can you provide statistics that the Thompson has actually be used in a crime in Alameda County?</p><p>Or are you simply using the popular connection of Tommy Gun equals Al Capone equals old gangster movies equals gangsters equals gangs equals crime?</p><p>Why not go after the perpetrator of the crime rather than the tool used in the crime?</p><p>As for Tiahrt--per the 16 June 2006 Congressional Research Service report "Gun Control: Statutory Disclosure Limitations on ATF Firearms Trace Data and Multiple Handgun Sales Reports (page 3)":<br>"...firearm trace data may be biased: consequently, such data cannot be used to test for statistical significance between firearm traces in general and the wider population of firearms available to criminals or the wider American public. Neither the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) — the principal federal agency charged with the collection of national crime statistics — nor ATF has endorsed the use of firearm trace data for any purpose other than advancing compliance with firearms commerce laws and bona fide criminal investigations. In conclusion, the ATF firearms trace database is an operational system designed to aid in ongoing investigations, rather than a system to capture 'crime gun' statistics."</p>AceWed, 12 Mar 2008 10:42:40 -0000