Glendale shop found to be No. 1 for guns found at Mexican crime scenes traced back to their shop

GLENDALE, AZ - The Washington Post recently tracked the number of guns found at Mexican crime scenes which were traced back to gun shops in the United States.

They found that the Lone Wolf Trading Company in Glendale topped the list nationwide.

The Washington Post said Lone Wolf took the number one slot for Mexican traces after it found that 185 guns recovered in Mexico were traced back to their store over the past two years.

The Post also said Lone Wolf came in eighth in the country for the total number of guns traced by law enforcement.

In an articled titled, “U.S. gun dealers with the most firearms traced over the past four years” Washington Post staff writers Sari Horwitz and James V. Grimaldi wrote, “Lone Wolf Trading Co. in Glendale, Ariz., a suburb of Phoenix, is ranked eighth on the list with about 1,515 firearms traced. Inside, model airplanes hang from the ceiling and the heads of animals adorn the walls. A sign behind the cash register advertised AK-47s for $499. Lone Wolf has jumped from No. 61 on the 2004 list. Last year, 12 people were indicted on charges of making false statements in order to buy 17 AK-47-type rifles headed to Mexico. The guns were purchased from seven stores, including Lone Wolf. Owner Andre Howard could not be reached for comment. ATF officials said they have no indication that Lone Wolf is doing anything wrong or illegal.”

A worker at the store told me that he read the Washington Post article but was told not to comment.

Just because a gun used in a crime scene is traced back to a gun dealer doesn't mean they have done anything wrong.

The ATF says if someone buys more than two handguns from the same shop in less than five days the dealer must let them know.

But not when it comes to AK-47s or .50-caliber rifles, weapons the ATF says are preferred by cartels.

“Because of the distance as well as the penetration effect of those types of bullets,” explained ATF’s Phoenix Division SAC William Newell.

I met with Newell back in October when we first told you about the uptick in guns being bought in Arizona and smuggled south to Mexico.

He urged dealers to help them bust criminals by reporting suspicious activity, even if they don’t legally have to.

“Mexico is in a tough, tough situation right now. They are at war against a very, very violent vicious group of thugs and they need our help and I think as neighbors we should do everything we can to help them and if we can eliminate the illegal traffic of firearms to violent criminals operating in Mexico I think we are doing the right thing.”

Now the ATF is looking to mandate a change.

On Friday they published a notice in the Federal Register asking for emergency authority to require dealers to tell them if someone buys more than two rifles in five days.

The rifles would have to be semi-automatic, greater than .22-caliber, and have the ability to accept a detachable magazine.

It would take effect January 5th.

I spoke to a man Monday wearing camouflage pants, construction boots and a bandana wrapped snuggly around his head walking near Lone Wolf gun shop in Glendale.

He didn’t want to go on camera or have his name revealed, but described himself this way, “Been in gun rights all my life, I’ve been in NRA, I carry, I carry respectfully”.

He said he is a deer hunter and despite being a avid gun rights supporter he does like the idea of a reporting requirement for high-powered rifle sales.

“You're getting into heavy equipment, it should go through the government, the government should know what's going on.”

In a statement the NRA’s Chief Lobbyist said, “This administration does not have the guts to build a wall, but they do have the audacity to blame and register gun owners for Mexico's problems."