INSTITUTE INDEX: The gun lobby's deadly force

Of the 10 U.S. gun dealers that sold the most firearms traced to crimes over the past four years, number in the South: 5

Of the 10 states with the most crime guns exported per 100,000 inhabitants, number in the South: 7*

In the past four years, numbers of weapons from Mexico's drug wars traced back to the United States: 60,000

Of the 12 U.S. gun dealers that sold the most firearms traced to crimes in Mexico, number in Texas: 8

Nationwide, the average number of years that guns have been on the streets before they're seized following a crime, a metric that helps identify criminal diversion of weapons: 10

The average number of years for guns from D & R Arms in Portsmouth, Va.: 1

Percent of guns sold at D & R Arms that were seized by police within a year after purchase: 68

Percent seized fewer than three years after purchase: 92

Year in which Congress passed a law at the behest of the gun lobby hiding from public view the federal database of information about the origin of firearms used in crimes: 2003

Amount the National Rifle Association spent in the past two decades on political activities: more than $100 million

Amount the NRA spent during that time on lobbying: $22 million

Amount it spent on political campaigns: $75 million

Percent of the 307 House and Senate members victorious in this year's mid-term elections who were backed by the NRA: 80

Date on which President Obama first announced he was nominating Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Special Agent Andrew Traver to direct the agency: 11/15/2010

Number of days later that the NRA announced it opposed Traver because he served as an advisor to the International Association for Chiefs of Police, which advocates for stricter gun control laws: 4

Date on which the Senate returned Traver's nomination to the White House without taking action: 12/22/2010

Date on which the president re-nominated Traver: 1/5/2011

Year in which Congress began requiring the ATF director position to be confirmed by the Senate: 2006

Year in which the ATF last had a permanent director: 2006

* Ranked in order of number of crime guns exported per 100,000 inhabitants, those 10 states are Mississippi, West Virginia, Kentucky, Alaska, Alabama, South Carolina, Virginia, Indiana, Nevada and Georgia.

(Click on figure to go to the source.)