The Turner’s store on Mohawk Street in Bakersfield, situated at a busy intersection near an oil field, sold more than 16,000 firearms over the past three years. During that same period, law enforcement traced 83 crime guns back to that single store — the highest number linked to any actively licensed gun dealer in any of California’s 10 largest cities, according to figures released by the state Department of Justice.

The data, part of a broader accounting of firearms recovered in criminal investigations, builds on reporting published in May by the nonprofit newsroom The Trace, which found that Turner’s locations statewide accounted for a disproportionate share of crime guns traced by California authorities. Under state law, a “crime gun” is any firearm used in an offense, suspected of being used in one, or possessed illegally.

The latest release goes further, breaking down how many crime guns were traced to specific stores within individual cities — and Turner’s locations appear repeatedly near the top of those lists.

The Mohawk Street store has operated since late 2020, taking over a location previously occupied by Second Amendment Sports, a dealer no longer licensed. That earlier business was linked to 100 crime gun traces of its own in Bakersfield. Combined, guns sold at that single address account for 183 crime gun recoveries in the city over the three-year period — more than the combined totals of the top five gun dealers in cities such as Los Angeles, Oakland or San Diego.

Local violence intervention workers in Bakersfield say they’re beginning to see the pattern show up in their own casework. Juan Avila, with the community violence intervention group Garden Pathways, said the connection to Turner’s came up recently during a meeting between his organization and the Bakersfield Police Department.

“A lot of them were tied back to Turner’s,” Avila said, noting that tracking crime gun sources is a relatively new practice for local intervention teams. “What really stood out to me was seeing how many guns can be traced back to one local store.”

Bakersfield police spokesperson Sally Selby said the department has no indication that illegal firearm sales or transactions are taking place at the store.

Turner’s locations also rank among the top gun dealers tied to crime guns recovered in Los Angeles, Fresno, Anaheim and Long Beach. Outside Sacramento, one Turner’s store just beyond city limits was connected to 38 firearms later recovered by Sacramento police.

Sacramento Mayor Kevin McCarty said the volume of crime guns traced to that store — along with another dealer, River City Gun Exchange, which topped Sacramento’s own list — warrants a formal investigation by state and local law enforcement “to determine whether there are gaps in background checks and procedures meant to keep guns out of the wrong hands.”

Firearms researchers and former federal agents say a mix of factors can influence how often a dealer’s guns turn up at crime scenes, including a store’s location, inventory, pricing, customer base and proximity to other dealers.

Statewide, Turner’s Outdoorsman remains the single largest source of crime guns in California. Between 2023 and 2025, authorities traced more than 8,500 firearms back to the chain — a total driven partly by its sheer size. Turner’s is California’s largest gun retailer, responsible for roughly 22 percent of all firearm sales recorded during that period. But the chain’s share of crime gun traces is even higher, at nearly 26 percent.

That gap has drawn scrutiny from gun safety advocates. Christian Heyne of Brady United, a national gun violence prevention organization, said the pattern raises questions about whether Turner’s is doing enough at the corporate level to prevent problem sales.

“They’ve shown up repeatedly in this report for four years running,” Heyne said, noting that other major retailers such as Bass Pro Shops and Sportsman’s Warehouse do not see anywhere near the same proportion of crime gun traces relative to their sales. Statewide, Turner’s Southern California locations occupied the top eight spots on the list of stores most frequently linked to crime guns.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn, who called for an investigation into the chain after The Trace’s initial reporting in May, said the new figures reinforce her concerns. “The guns Turner’s is selling are ending up connected to deaths, and that demands scrutiny and action,” Hahn said. Brady United has since joined her call for a formal probe.

Turner’s drew national attention this spring after it was revealed that Cole Tomas Allen — accused of attempting to attack President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in April — was carrying a shotgun purchased at a Turner’s store in Torrance.

The company did not respond to a request for comment for this story. In a June statement to the conservative outlet The Daily Caller, a Turner’s executive said the chain maintains a “demonstrated commitment to regulatory compliance” and that trace data “does not indicate wrongdoing by the retailer.” A 2015 ATF inspection report had previously described one store’s recordkeeping as “meticulous.”

Still, the newly released state report notes that inspectors found several violations at Turner’s locations examined in 2025. Most were minor, but one inspection flagged a potential straw-purchase violation at the San Bernardino store — the single dealer linked to more crime guns than any other in California, with 781 traces between 2023 and 2025.

State data also show that firearms sold at Turner’s stores were recovered from crime scenes sooner after purchase than guns sold by other California dealers — appearing in criminal investigations within a year of sale 36 percent more often. Federal regulators consider that short a gap between purchase and recovery a possible sign of illegal trafficking.

Guns end up at crime scenes through a variety of paths — some stolen from their original owners, some obtained through straw purchases made on someone else’s behalf, some trafficked through underground markets, and others bought legally by someone who later commits a crime.

California remains the only state that publishes dealer-level data on crime gun traces. Congress has barred the ATF from releasing similar information nationally since 2003.

Original source: CalMatters

The post Turner’s Outdoorsman Ranked Among Top Sources of Crime Guns in California’s Largest Cities appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

Over the past three years, that single store sold more than 16,000 firearms. During the same period, law enforcement traced 83 guns recovered in criminal investigations back to that location, according to newly released figures from the California Department of Justice. Among stores currently holding an active dealer license, that was the highest total in any of California’s 10 largest cities.

The numbers build on reporting The Trace published in May, which found that the Turner’s Outdoorsman chain — with more than 30 locations statewide — accounted for a disproportionate share of the state’s crime guns. Under state law, a “crime gun” is a firearm used in a crime, suspected of being used in one, or possessed illegally.

The newest state data goes further, breaking down how many crime guns were traced to specific dealers in California’s biggest cities.

The Bakersfield Turner’s location has operated since late 2020. Before that, the same storefront housed Second Amendment Sports, a business no longer licensed to sell firearms. Guns sold there were traced to another 100 crimes in Bakersfield. Combined, the two businesses account for 183 firearms tied to crimes in the city over the three-year period — more than the top five gun dealers combined in any other major California city, including Los Angeles, San Diego or Oakland.

Local violence-prevention workers say the pattern hasn’t gone unnoticed. Juan Avila, with the Bakersfield-based group Garden Pathways, said the topic came up recently during a meeting between his organization and the Bakersfield Police Department. “Many of those were being traced to Turner’s,” he said, adding that tracking the origins of crime guns is a relatively new tool for his group. “That’s really what grabbed my attention — to see how many guns actually can be traced back to a local shop.”

Bakersfield police spokesperson Sally Selby said the department has no evidence of illegal sales occurring at the store.

Beyond Bakersfield, Turner’s locations rank among the top sources of crime guns in Los Angeles, Fresno, Anaheim and Long Beach. In the Sacramento area, one store just outside city limits was linked to 38 firearms recovered by police within Sacramento itself.

Sacramento Mayor Kevin McCarty said the volume of guns tied to that store — along with another dealer, River City Gun Exchange, which topped Sacramento’s list — warrants a closer look from law enforcement. “To see if there’s any shortcomings in background checks and procedures to make sure that guns aren’t getting in the wrong hands,” he said.

Experts caution that several factors can influence how often a dealer’s guns turn up at crime scenes, including a store’s location, prices, inventory and customer base, as well as nearby competition.

Statewide, the pattern is even more pronounced. According to a report released in July by the California Department of Justice, Turner’s Outdoorsman remains the single largest source of crime guns in California. Between 2023 and 2025, authorities traced more than 8,500 recovered firearms back to the chain.

Turner’s is also California’s largest gun retailer, responsible for roughly 21.8 percent of all firearm sales recorded during that three-year span — but it accounted for an even larger share, 25.9 percent, of guns later connected to crimes.

That imbalance has drawn concern from gun-safety advocates. “Turner’s is doing something on a corporate level — or they’re not doing something on the corporate level — to prevent this,” said Christian Heyne of Brady United, noting that other major retailers such as Bass Pro Shops and Sportsman’s Warehouse do not appear at the top of the state’s list and show smaller shares of their inventory ending up as crime guns. Eight of the top spots statewide belonged to Southern California Turner’s locations.

“People are being killed by the guns Turner’s sells, and it demands investigation and action,” Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn said. Hahn previously called for a formal investigation into the retailer following The Trace’s initial reporting, a request Brady United later echoed.

The chain drew national attention earlier this year after Cole Tomas Allen — accused of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in April — was found to have purchased his shotgun at a Turner’s store in Torrance.

Turner’s did not respond to requests for comment for this story. In June, a company executive told the conservative outlet The Daily Caller that Turner’s maintains a “proven commitment to regulatory compliance” and that trace data “does not indicate wrongdoing by the retailer.” A 2015 ATF inspection report had previously described one store’s recordkeeping as “meticulous.”

Still, the state’s new report notes several violations uncovered during 2025 inspections of Turner’s locations. Most were minor paperwork issues, but inspectors flagged a possible straw-purchase violation at the chain’s San Bernardino store — the single dealer statewide with the most crime guns traced to it, 781 between 2023 and 2025.

The data also shows that firearms sold by Turner’s are recovered at crime scenes at a higher rate than guns sold by other California dealers. Guns traced to the chain were also 36 percent more likely to be recovered within a year of purchase than those sold elsewhere — a “time-to-crime” window that federal regulators consider a red flag for potential trafficking.

Firearms end up at crime scenes through a variety of paths: some are stolen, some purchased illegally through straw buyers, some funneled into underground markets, and some bought legally by someone who later commits a crime.

California remains the only state that publishes this kind of dealer-specific data. Congress has barred the ATF from releasing similar retailer-level information nationwide since 2003.

Original source: CalMatters

The post Turner’s Outdoorsman Emerges as Leading Source of Crime Guns in California’s Largest Cities appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.