The original post is quite misleading. The implication of the title (Mass shootings and availability of gun dealerships) and the subsequent analysis is that there are vast numbers gun "shops"/"dealerships" across the U.S. The author apparently failed look at the requirements for being identified as such. In actual fact, what the author did was analyze the number of "Federal Firearms License" holders (aka FFL's). Anyone interested should take a look at Who is eligible for a firearms license. These licenses are not handed out like candy. The application is quite involved and requires photos and fingerprints. They are not all used in specifically as a means to sell firearms to the general public. Many FFL holders were required to obtain a license because they:
- work for a manufacturer and have sales responsibilities,
- are one of many employees who work for a retail gun shop ("dealership" if you prefer) and have sales responsibilities,
- buy and sell collectable firearms for a small or as a side business related to their primary business,
- do not currently buy/sell firearms, but would like to be legally prepared to so in the future,
I can give you a real world example. My wife works for a small firearms parts/accessories manufacturer. She and all other employees that would ever be in a situation where they might be involved in the actual sales transaction were required to obtain FFL's when the business owner began plans for the simply possibility of selling lower receivers in the future. To be clear, this is ONE business with MULTIPLE FFL holders. I'm relatively certain there are countless other similar examples. While the wonderful power of Wolfram Language was showcased, it is clear that such data was overlooked by the author.
I remember seeing the post 3 years ago, but I didn't open it to read at the time because of the heightened emotional context that surrounds a mass shooting. I regret that now.
I can only hope that someone finds it worthwhile to expend the same energy analyzing the nearly 685 deaths per day that occur due to medical errors in the U.S.
