Stolen guns are the biggest problem with regard to “gun violence” in this country. It’s not lawfully purchased firearms that are the issue, but guns taken from those who lawfully purchased them by criminals. We all know it.

All too often, though, anti-Second Amendment activists and the media (but I repeat myself) tend to ignore that little bit. They take aim at the lawful purchase of firearms as if that somehow will address the issue.

Yet it seems not everyone in the media is blind to reality, based on a local news report out of South Carolina.

In 2015, New York Police Department Officer Randolph Holder was killed after being shot by a gun that was illegally trafficked from South Carolina.

It’s not the only case.

Officials are working to crack down on illegal gun trafficking as South Carolina’s violent crime rate continues to rise.

About 70% of guns that are recovered or used in crimes in New York City come from southern states with more lax gun laws, according to Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez.

Last year, he announced the indictment of four men for trafficking guns from South Carolina and Virginia. Those guns, he said, are running up Interstate 95, which is referred to as the “Iron Pipeline.”

Criminals use “straw purchasers” to legally buy guns for someone who can’t — like a convicted felon, who is banned from owning firearms.

“They know these guns will be used to commit a crime and they simply don’t care,” Gonzalez said.

New York City is one of five cities where the U.S. Department of Justice is launching a gun trafficking strike force, but some Democrats said more efforts are needed in states that are funneling guns to the area.

Now, this looks like more of the same claim that states with more lax gun laws are really to blame for problems in cities like New York. However, as the report continues:

ATF has found that most trafficked guns are stolen.

“What we’re seeing is this whole issue of folks not locking their car doors and people having guns in their cars, leaving them in their cars overnight, or even for a short period of time is not advisable,” said Horry County Police Department Chief Joseph Hill.

Exactly.

See, a handful are through straw purchases, sure, but most are stolen. There’s not really a lot of new gun control laws you can put on the books to stop that kind of thing, either. It’s already illegal to steal stuff like guns. It’s illegal to sell stolen stuff like guns. It’s illegal to knowingly buy stolen stuff like guns. What else can you really make illegal?

Of course, for some, that’s all the justification they need to ban guns outright. In their mind, if they do that, they can cut off the flow of guns to the black market.

What they’re not considering is the fact that there are already too many guns there for that to have any appreciable difference. Especially since a lot of lawful gun owners would simply refuse to take part in any kind of buyback or confiscation program.

Plus, there’s that whole Second Amendment thing. Let’s not forget about that.

So, guns are here to stay, and that means stolen guns will remain a thing as well. It’s just nice to see someone in the media acknowledge the issue.