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Maryland Ranks High for Lost or Stolen Guns by Federally Licensed Dealers

123rf.com

BALTIMORE (AP) - A new report finds that Maryland is among the top five states with the greatest number of guns that federally licensed gun dealers reported lost or stolen last year.

WBAL-AM reports that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms report found that Maryland ranks third in the nation with more than 880 guns lost and 98 guns reported stolen from dealers in 2012.

Pennsylvania came in first in the ATF's ranking followed by Texas.

The National Crime Information Center database reported more than 190,000 guns were lost or stolen across the county and about 9 percent of those reports were from federally licensed gun dealers. The agency says many lost or stolen weapons go unreported.

The report comes as President Barack Obama pushes for stronger federal gun laws.

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.