Yuma store identified among top retailers of guns seized in Mexico

A Yuma gun retailer is among the top 12 stores that sold guns seized in Mexico, according to a year-long investigation by The Washington Post.

According to the results of The Washington Post's investigation posted online this week, Sprague's Sports in Yuma is among the top dealers of guns traced to crime scenes in Mexico, listed at 11th with 55 guns recovered.

“It's an unfortunate statistic,” said Richard Sprague, owner of Sprague's Sports.

Given Yuma's proximity to the border, the maturity of the business and its volume of sales, “probably the odds are that some guns are making it into Mexico,” he said. “Unfortunately, some people do break the law once they leave our store.”

That's something he has no control over.

However, Sprague said, he and other responsible dealers in the industry are very vigilant in trying to stem the flow of illegal guns and he believes some progress is being made.

“All sales at the store are according to federal guidelines,” he said. “We don't get to dictate who buys our guns.”

Those guidelines, first established in the 1968 Gun Control Law and revised over the years, include requiring a background check by the FBI, proof the purchaser is a legal resident of the state where the gun is being purchased and completion of paperwork documenting that the person is in good repute and not a felon.

In addition, the gun industry has been working for the last several years to stem the illegal flow of guns through education and various preemptive measures, Sprague said.

One such measure is Don't Lie for the Other Guy. “You can't purchase a gun for someone who isn't legally able to buy one,” he said.

Sprague also noted that it is illegal to transport guns into Mexico.

In the past four years, Mexican and U.S. authorities have traced more than 60,000 weapons from the nation's bloody drug wars back to some of the 7,500 U.S. gun dealers along the border. The dealers with the most traces in the past two years are in Texas, Arizona and California and are near highways that cross the border and go deep into Mexico.

Texas has produced more guns seized in Mexico than any other state, and Houston is the focal point of gun-running operations to the border, federal authorities said.

However, the top gun retailer identified by The Washington Post in its investigation is in Arizona. Lone Wolf Trading Co. in Glendale tops the list, with 185 guns recovered. J&G Sales in Prescott is third with 130 guns recovered.

The list and a video regarding The Washington Post's investigation can be found at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/nation/guns/arming-mexicos-drug-cartels/.