by Jake Stump
Daily Mail Capitol Reporter

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- West Virginia led the nation per capita last year for supplying the most guns recovered in out-of-state crimes, according to a study by a bipartisan group of 343 U.S. mayors.

The report ranks West Virginia No. 1 for exporting crime guns at a rate of 41 per 100,000 inhabitants, nearly four times the national average.

Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a coalition fronted by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, attributes West Virginia's high ranking to what it perceives as lax gun laws here.

The group's study is based on data compiled by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

According to those figures, the top five states to link crime guns to West Virginia last year were Maryland, 168; Ohio, 119; North Carolina, 92; New York, 78; and Virginia, 69.

The report also found that West Virginia has four guns exported for every gun imported....

[Charleston Mayor Danny] Jones, however, agrees that the coalition's latest report is on target. The mayor acknowledges a problem with out-of-state residents acquiring guns too easily in West Virginia.

He cited an example from 2001, when a 9 mm handgun sold at Will's Jewelry and Loan Pawnshop in South Charleston ended up shooting two police officers in New Jersey. 

 During a robbery stakeout, Shuntez Everett, 24, shot and wounded Orange Police Detective David Lemongello and Officer Kenneth McGuire with the 9 mm. Everett was killed when officers returned fire.

Federal prosecutors were able to link a Newark, N.J. man, James Gray, to the purchase of 22 handguns, including the 9 mm, from the South Charleston pawnshop. Gray was sentenced to 15 years in prison for the illegal gun buys.

In 2004, Lemongello and McGuire were awarded $1 million in a civil lawsuit against Will's Jewelry and Loan Pawnshop. It marked the first time a gun seller paid damages for supplying the criminal gun market, according to the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence.

"The problem we have with guns is how they attract drug dealers and criminals from big cities," Mayor Jones said. "If somehow we could slow down the purchase of guns by people out-of-state, we would see the gun rate go down. But I'm realistic that's not going to happen."

Jones blamed the Legislature for never wanting to deal with gun issues in a responsible fashion.

While he considers himself pro-gun and a supporter of the Second Amendment, Jones believes a few restrictions could be put in place to prevent gun crimes.

In addition to slowing down gun sales to out-of-state residents, Jones thinks the state needs to regulate purchases at gun shows.

West Virginia currently does not require background checks for handgun sales at gun shows.

"I can understand that they're easy to get here," Jones said about the coalition's study. "If there was a delay for people out-of-state to get them, we would help other areas and help ourselves.

"You can go to any gun show and buy a 9 mm pistol that's already locked and loaded. I've witnessed it with my own eyes."

But Jones has zero confidence in the Legislature to address the problem. He figures the only way to cut back on illegal gun purchases and crime gun exports is if the federal government imposes its own regulations.

Jones criticized the Legislature for treating the Second Amendment as if it were gospel.

"In the Legislature, the Second Amendment has religious connotations," said Jones, a former House of Delegates member and Kanawha County Sheriff. "There are actually people trying to loosen up gun laws that we have. The Second Amendment crowd thinks we ought to have less restrictions and no prohibitions against selling guns at all."

In its study, Mayors Against Illegal Guns linked the high export rate in crime guns to particular gun laws.

The group found that states that supply interstate crime guns at a rate higher than average typically did not have the following gun laws: Background checks on handguns at gun shows, purchase permits for all handgun sales, mandatory reporting of lost or stolen guns to law enforcement, local control of firearms regulations, and state inspection of gun dealers.

None of those laws are on the books in West Virginia.

"States that have high crime gun export rates tend to have comparatively weak gun laws," the study suggests.

Following West Virginia in the crime gun export rankings are Mississippi, South Carolina, Kentucky, Alabama, Virginia, Georgia, Indiana, Nevada and North Carolina.

The national crime gun export rate was 11.3 guns exported per 100,000 inhabitants.

According to the group's Web site, Mayors Against Illegal Guns is dedicated to making America's cities safer by cracking down on illegal guns. There are 30,000 Americans killed every year as a result of gun violence, the group states.

"Mayors have a responsibility to protect their communities by holding gun offenders and irresponsible gun dealers accountable, demanding access to trace data that is critical to law enforcement efforts to combat illegal gun trafficking, and working with legislators to fix gaps, weaknesses and loopholes in the law that make it far too easy for criminals and other prohibited purchasers to get guns," states the group's mission