The Intersection of Gun Trafficking and Vermont's Drug Crisis
Vermont’s easy supply of guns is fueling the guns-for-drugs trade in the state by making it easy for convicted criminals to purchase firearms undetected. Law enforcement officials have described Vermont as a state “where you have drugs going in and guns coming out.” (1)
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Vermont has the highest rate of illicit drug use in the country (15% of respondents used in the last month).(2)
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Vermont has one of the highest rates of gun trafficking in the Northeast, with Vermont guns being recovered at out-of-state crime scenes at more than double the rate of other states in the region.(3)
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According to the Globe, authorities in Springfield, MA have recovered a dozen guns at crime scenes that they traced to Vermont, more than any other state outside Massachusetts. (4)
(1) WCAX, “WCAX Investigates: Guns and drugs” Feb 7, 2013 http://www.wcax.com/story/21053113/wcax-investigates-guns-and-drugs
(2) SAMHSA, Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, NSDUH, 2010 (Revised March 2012) and 2011
(3) https://www.atf.gov/sites/default/files/assets/statistics/tracedata-2012/source-recovery-by-state.xlsx