Gang Members Use 'Community Guns'

Radiators, bushes, and wheel wells are popular. Garbage pails, too. All are handy hiding spots for the so-called "community gun" that New York gang members are turning to in times of need. After shooting someone, the New York Times reports, they kindly put it back. Today's economy might explain the popularity of communal guns—plus “the gangs are younger, and their resources are less,” says a Bronx assistant DA.

But community guns are still new enough to surprise New York investigators. “We get a lot more ballistic matches than we ever have before,” says one lieutenant. “It’s amazing. You go, how the hell did that match up to that shooting?" State Senator Malcolm A. Smith finds it sad: “You have a business model behind this concept, a schedule, which is a shame. If they used that intellect for something positive, who knows how successful that person could be?” (More guns stories.)