Iron Pipeline
{{short description|Route used to smuggle firearms}}
{{Use American English|date=May 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2016}}
The Iron Pipeline is the route in the United States used to smuggle weapons from ten states mostly in the Southern United States{{cite book |last= Enos |first= Sandra L. |editor-first= Gregg Lee |editor-last= Carter |title= Guns in American Society: An Encyclopedia of History, Politics, Culture, and the Law |chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=oD46JBOhMU0C&pg=PA440 |accessdate= May 7, 2015 |year= 2012 |location= Santa Barbara, cA |publisher= ABC-CLIO |isbn= 9780313386701 |pages= 440–44 |chapter= Iron Pipeline}} to Mid-Atlantic states and New England,{{cite journal |last= Wintemute |first= Garen J. |year= 2002 |title= Where the Guns Come from: The Gun Industry and Gun Commerce |journal= The Future of Children |volume= 12 |issue= 2 |pages= 54–71 |doi= 10.2307/1602738 |jstor= 1602738|pmid= 12194613 |url= https://issuelab.org/resources/499/499.pdf }} particularly states with stricter gun laws such as New York and New Jersey.{{cite book |last= Spitzer |first= Robert |title= Guns Across America: Reconciling Gun Rules and Rights |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=R80YBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA168 |year= 2015 |location= Oxford |publisher= Oxford University Press |isbn= 9780190228583 |page= 168}}
Overview
Physically, the term "Iron Pipeline" denotes Interstate 95 (I-95) and its connector highways. It is dubbed so by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), as well as politicians, law enforcement officials,{{cite news |url= http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/battling-merchants-death-city-streets-deadly-game-cat-mouse-cops-hunt-illegal-guns-coming-state-article-1.641184 |title= Battling Merchants of Death on City's Streets: In a Deadly Game of Cat and Mouse, Cops Hunt Illegal Guns Coming from Out of State |last= O'Shaughnessy |first= Patrice |date= January 15, 2006 |work= Daily News |location= New York |accessdate= May 7, 2015}}{{cite news |last1= Mandell |first1= Meredith |last2= Llorente |first2= Elizabeth |title= Smugglers Flood N.J. with Guns |url= http://www.northjersey.com/news/smugglers-flood-n-j-with-guns-1.922581 |newspaper= The Record |location= Woodland Park, NJ |accessdate= February 17, 2015}}{{cite news |last1= White |first1= Lawrence |title= The Iron Pipeline of Illegal Guns |url= http://blog.timesunion.com/guns/the-iron-pipeline-of-illegal-guns/2295/ |newspaper= Times Union |location= Albany, NY |accessdate= February 17, 2015 |archive-date= February 17, 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150217065036/http://blog.timesunion.com/guns/the-iron-pipeline-of-illegal-guns/2295/ |url-status= dead }}{{cite news |title= NYC Police Make 'Largest-Ever Gun Bust' |url= http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2013/8/19/nyc-authorities-seizeillegalgunssmuggledfromcarolinasironpipelin.html |publisher= Al Jazeera America |accessdate= February 17, 2015}}{{cite news |last1= Taylor |first1= Marisa |title= Gun Law Loophole Could Have Provided Brinsley's Murder Weapon, Say Experts |url= http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/12/22/illegal-guns-brinsley.html |publisher= Al Jazeera America |accessdate= February 17, 2015}}{{cite news |last1= Feinblatt |first1= John |title= Death Rides the Iron Pipeline |url= http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/death-rides-iron-pipeline-article-1.1801004 |newspaper= Daily News |location= New York |accessdate= February 17, 2015}}{{cite news |title= The Iron Pipeline Thrives |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/07/opinion/the-iron-pipeline-thrives.html |newspaper= The New York Times |type= Editorial |accessdate= February 17, 2015}}{{cite news |last1= Dys |first1= Andrew |title= Man Pleads Guilty in Rock Hill-to-New York City 'Iron Pipeline' Case |url= http://www.heraldonline.com/2015/01/14/6703748_man-pleads-guilty-in-rock-hill.html?rh=1 |newspaper= The Herald |location= Rock Hill, SC |accessdate= February 17, 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150217064946/http://www.heraldonline.com/2015/01/14/6703748_man-pleads-guilty-in-rock-hill.html?rh=1 |archive-date= February 17, 2015 |url-status= dead }}{{cite news |last1= Klein |first1= Allison |title= In Study Of Gun Traffic, Va. Stands Out |url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/20/AR2007082002010.html |newspaper= The Washington Post |accessdate= February 17, 2015}}{{cite news |last1= Aborn |first1= Richard |title= States Must Unite to Put an End to Illegal Gun Trafficking |url= http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/states-unite-put-illegal-gun-trafficking-article-1.331489 |newspaper= Daily News |location= New York |department= Opinion |accessdate= February 17, 2015}} and organizations such as Mayors Against Illegal Guns. The latter organization produced a report in 2010 based on information provided by ATF, and concluded that "in 2009 ten states (Arizona, California, Georgia, Florida, Indiana, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia) supplied almost half the interstate-trafficked guns recovered at crime scenes".{{cite news |url= http://www.economist.com/node/17151375|title= Trekking North: Most Guns Recovered from Crime Scenes Come from Ten Lax States |date= September 30, 2010 |newspaper= The Economist |accessdate= May 7, 2015}}
Impact on the United States
In May 2015, after it was determined that the gun used in the shooting of NYPD officer Brian Moore was stolen from a gun store in Perry, Georgia, US Senator Chuck Schumer from New York called for a "federal crackdown" on the Iron Pipeline. According to WCBS 880, "90 percent of guns recovered at New York City crime scenes come from out-of-state".{{cite news |url= http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2015/05/06/gun-trafficking-schumer-iron-pipeline-moore/ |title= Sen. Schumer Demands Crackdown on 'Iron Pipeline' Following NYPD Officer's Death |date= May 6, 2015 |work= CBS New York |location= New York |publisher= WCBS-AM |accessdate= May 7, 2015}} According to The New York Times, the Iron Pipeline is "one of the biggest factors thwarting New York in its efforts to keep guns off the streets and out of the hands of criminals".{{cite news |newspaper= The New York Times |date= May 8, 2003 |title= Shutting Down the 'Iron Pipeline' |page= A36 |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/08/opinion/shutting-down-the-iron-pipeline.html }}
On January 5, 2016, president Barack Obama publicly announced executive actions to clarify laws on background checks, and to hire additional ATF and FBI agents. President Obama stated that, "Guns cross state lines as easily as cars do. If your state has strong gun laws but the neighboring state does not have strong gun laws, the guns come into your state. That's called the Iron Pipeline."{{cite news|last1=Smith|first1=Aaron|title=How the Iron Pipeline funnels guns into cities with tough gun laws|url=https://money.cnn.com/2016/01/19/news/iron-pipeline-gun-control/|accessdate=3 July 2016|publisher=CNN|date=January 19, 2016}}
Some 500,000 guns are trafficked into Mexico each year. As of January 2, 2023, Mexico has sued the US gun industry − or certain of its members – in two U.S. courts. For all civil plaintiffs, the primary impediment is the 2005 Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act. But numerous public officials have supported such actions via amicus curiae briefs. 56 Suffolk Law Review 1 (2023).
References
{{Reflist|30em}} Contrast this with the "Iron River" of guns, flowing from the US to other countries. See William Slomanson, Iron River Case: Blueprint for Gun Trafficking Analytics, 56 Suffolk Univ. Law Rev. 1 (2023).