Liberals' favorite gun control statistic is as real as Manti Te’o’s girlfriend

thisistwitchy | 4:58 PM on January 17, 2013

Biden again cites estimate that about 40% of people who buy guns today do so outside the background check system.

— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) January 17, 2013

Consensus is that about 40% of gun purchases are done with no background check at all. Criminals can get guns thru this loophole. #VPBiden

— Sly James (Former Mayor) (@MayorSlyJames) January 17, 2013

2. Pass the Fix Gun Checks Act, closing private-sale loophole that allows more than 40% of gun sales to go through w/o a background check.

— Michael Skolnik (@MichaelSkolnik) January 12, 2013

It’s the stat that keeps popping up in the gun control debate. Just one problem: It is totally bogus.

https://twitter.com/jaycaruso/status/292020678671093760

A “Fact” About Gun Sales That Does Not Hold Up

73% of gun owners say they purchased their firearms. Of that, 63% (not 60%) were purchased through the mail, at a gun store, a pawn shop or other store (other would be Wal-Mart, Gander Mountain, Dick’s Sporting Goods, etc.).

They show that 4% purchased their guns at a gun show. The bulk of sales at gun shows are through FFL’s. But for the sake of the whiners, let’s split it down the middle. 2% at gun shows were through FFL’s and 2% through a private sale. 29% say they acquired their gun from a friend or family member. If we deduct the 24% who say they inherited their firearms or received it as a gift, that leaves us with 5% who purchased it from a family member or friend.

So that leaves 65% of guns purchased where a background check was required. 5% of sales were done between family members and friends without a check. Another 24% were given as gifts or inherited. That leaves the final 6% which were sold in other markets or acquired through a trade. Even if we are generous and include sales between family members and friends, we are left with a figure of eleven percent. Not forty percent.