BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Newly released data show guns sold at a Bakersfield retailer have been linked to more crime than weapons sold by any other dealer in any major California city.
A crime gun is a firearm sold legally, but after a crime happens, an investigation leads back to that same gun doing illegal activity. Turners Outdoorsman on Mohawk Street is now at the center of a troubling statistic.
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According to the Department of Justice, dozens of guns traced to local crime investigations came from Turner’s, and it’s more than any other dealer in California’s largest cities — topping Los Angeles, Fresno, the Bay Area and Sacramento.
“The rate was pretty surprising,” said Juan Avila, Chief Operating Officer of Garden Pathways, a mentorship program that also works toward violence intervention. “There’s other cities that are a lot bigger than Bakersfield, and there are cities that have more gun shops, including some of the shops that have come out in this report. So to see that Bakersfield had a high rate was of concern.”
Avila suggested there should be more “due diligence” in the sale of firearms.
DOJ said between 2023 and 2025, 83 crime guns came from Turner’s. This was followed by Valley Gun at 78 and Dirty Bird at 60 — all in Bakersfield.
17 News reached out for comment but did not get a response.
However, some of Turner’s customers said they went through a difficult process to buy a gun and don’t blame the store for crimes.
“I feel like they’re doing a good job and doing everything right,” said Obed Munoz of Bakersfield. “So that statistic is shocking, but after you do have the gun, you can do whatever you want with it. So if you do a crime, that’s more on the individual and not the store.”
Another Turner’s customer said there’s not much that can be done to lower the statistic without infringing on Second Amendment rights.
“What can you do? If someone goes and buys a car and then drinks too much and gets in a wreck, do you blame the car dealership?” said Stephen Hudis of Kern County. “I don’t think that’s right. It’s just (that) the numbers are what they are. And if you’re a bigger car dealer, you’re going to sell more cars that are in accidents. If you’re a bigger gun store dealer, there’s going to be those numbers.”
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