Biden: We need more gun laws because we don’t have time to enforce the ones we have
posted at 8:01 am on January 18, 2013 by Ed Morrissey
Joe Biden headed up the task force on gun violence that supposedly wanted to hear all perspectives before proposing a new raft of laws that would restrict access to weapons, magazines, and ammunition. According to one participant, one reason that Biden and Barack Obama want new laws is because they don’t have time to enforce the laws already on the books — specifically, the laws relating to background checks that Biden and Obama want expanded:
During the National Rifle Association’s meeting with Vice President Joe Biden and the White House gun violence task force, the vice president said the Obama administration does not have the time to fully enforce existing gun laws.
Jim Baker, the NRA representative present at the meeting, recalled the vice president’s words during an interview with The Daily Caller: “And to your point, Mr. Baker, regarding the lack of prosecutions on lying on Form 4473s, we simply don’t have the time or manpower to prosecute everybody who lies on a form, that checks a wrong box, that answers a question inaccurately.” …
In 2010, prosecutors considered just 22 cases of information falsification, according to a 2012 report to the Department of Justice by the Regional Justice Information Service. Forty additional background-check cases ended up before prosecutors for reasons related to unlawful gun possession.
In all, prosecutors pursued just 44 of those 62 cases. More than 72,600 applications were denied on the basis of a background check. …
Gun prosecutions in 2011 were down 35 percent from the previous administration’s peak in 2004, according to Justice Department data compiled by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University.
Not every failed background check is due to deliberate fraud or deception, of course. People can make mistakes like “check[ing] a wrong box” without malicious or deceptive intent. However, I’d guess that the percentage of failures involving deception and fraud is somewhat higher than .086% of all rejected applications.
If not, then the existing background check system fails 99.91% of the time, and isn’t a deterrent to gun violence at all. If fraud and deception occur at a higher rate than 62 out of 72,600, then rather than add to the number of background checks, we should first ask why the Department of Justice didn’t pursue more than 44 prosecutions, which is a worse rate of .0606% of all rejected applications. If it’s that they don’t have time to check more failures, as Biden insisted, then why on Earth are we demanding a higher volume of background checks? What we need is a higher volume of follow-up on existing red flags.
The Daily Caller asked for some clarification on this point, but …
Vice President Biden’s press office did not respond to requests for comment.
I’m not opposed to expanding background checks in principle, but what’s the point if no one follows up on the bad actors they expose in the existing system?
Update: 99.1% should have been 99.91%; I’ve fixed it above.
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EXACTLY!!
Tar Heel Sooner on May 17, 2013 at 11:17 AM
Hello, Mcfly
cmsinaz on May 17, 2013 at 11:19 AM
slow wick.
phatfawzi on May 17, 2013 at 11:21 AM
Size doesn’t matter, this is a scandal plain and simple and will change the lexicon. Watergate is old news.
meci on May 17, 2013 at 11:23 AM
Wow, Sloooooooooooooooooooooooooooooow Joe.
Resist We Much on May 17, 2013 at 11:24 AM
Elevator doesn’t quite reach the penthouse, eh, Joe?
John the Libertarian on May 17, 2013 at 11:24 AM
Wonder who trusts the government to handle anything? Especially under bho/team!
L
letget on May 17, 2013 at 11:25 AM
Exactly. Sarah Hall Ingram’s organization acted on Obama’s motto of “We’re gonna punish our enemies and we’re gonna reward our friends”. She got bonuses, raise, and a promotion to run Obamacare.
I’ve seen extreme leftists on Twitter say that the one thing the left and right agree on is that we all hate the IRS.
It’s time to repeal the 16th amendment, abolish the IRS, and implement the Fair Tax. I know it won’t happen in the 113th Congress, nor the 114th Congress, but if enough conservatives win in 2014 and 2016, we could do this in the 115th Congress.
ITguy on May 17, 2013 at 11:25 AM
Wait. So Mika is the Dumb one?
oldroy on May 17, 2013 at 11:26 AM
AP at his best right thar..
hillsoftx on May 17, 2013 at 11:26 AM
The bigger the government, the smaller the freedom.
I’d like to see the GOP stand for RESTORING FREEDOM.
ITguy on May 17, 2013 at 11:27 AM
Only because of the lapdog media (guy’s like Joe just lovin’ on him) not doing their job. The first term had the SAME scandals as now…just had to wait to get that 2nd term…dammit.
kirkill on May 17, 2013 at 11:28 AM
Uh huh. Just keep saying it’s devastating for this week. It will be gone soon enough. The GOP will screw this up. Obama will walk away with the support he’s always had from the electorate.
If the nation wasn’t convinced that Obama should have been replaced in 2012, what difference do any of these “scandals” make?
All these scandals have done is make people already mad about Obama even madder. The mainstream press will move on from this very soon. And we’ll be stuck gnashing our teeth again while our pathetic GOP cries in the corner sniffling about “jobs”.
happytobehere on May 17, 2013 at 11:28 AM
John McClain, “Welcome to the party, pal!”
Meople on May 17, 2013 at 11:28 AM
As a commenter at “The Corner” notes, Joe still doesn’t quite get it. The Second Amendment, like all of the Bill of Rights, limit government, not its citizens. The government cannot intrude on or limit our individual rights.
onlineanalyst on May 17, 2013 at 11:29 AM
But, but… jobs. Certainly just talking endlessly about “jobs” wins elections, right?
happytobehere on May 17, 2013 at 11:29 AM
Mika offering up her brilliant analysis as usual.
jdpaz on May 17, 2013 at 11:30 AM
I’ve never trusted government. If I weren’t married with children I would refuse to comply with Obamacare’s IRS reporting and risk jail time doing so.
John Roberts needs to be strung up for what havoc he allowed to pass.
Charlemagne on May 17, 2013 at 11:30 AM
LOL.
Our only absolute individual right is the absolute right to abortion.
happytobehere on May 17, 2013 at 11:31 AM
What part of “trust the government” don’t they get is an oxymoron>
ProfShadow on May 17, 2013 at 11:31 AM
The bigger the government, the smaller the citizen.
Resist We Much on May 17, 2013 at 11:32 AM
unfortunately, you are probably right. But I have to bitterly cling to the hope that somehow, the Marxist Tyranny will stop.
kirkill on May 17, 2013 at 11:32 AM
Stop congratulating Morning J-O.
He’s essentially taking Axelrod’s talking point and using it. “The Government is so big, Obama can’t control it.”
portlandon on May 17, 2013 at 11:33 AM
And health care – don’t forget about health care you doofus.
gophergirl on May 17, 2013 at 11:34 AM
Everyday, the headlines re-affirm Reagans’ approach was correct.
BobMbx on May 17, 2013 at 11:34 AM
Interesting, I was trying to link to an article wherein Mark Steyn discusses the s*cession issue and HA wouldn’t post it.
Wow, even Mark Steyn, reported on RCP and the Daily Caller, can’t be referenced here because of the S word?
Charlemagne on May 17, 2013 at 11:36 AM
This makes it harder to believe Justice on the Black Panther issue. And Fast & Furious. And the IRS on Obamacare. And whether or not the influence from these and other federal agencies actually undermined what was supposed to be free and fair elections that took place last November.
Hugo Chavez would’ve been envious.
BKeyser on May 17, 2013 at 11:37 AM
I used to hope for that too. I’ve moved on. Work hard, make some money, do what you can to keep it away from the IRS… Best way is to create a company called “Green Solar Solutions” or some such. Then move to a gated community and watch the rest of the country crumble.
The USA is over. But you can still have a fine life for you and your family.
happytobehere on May 17, 2013 at 11:38 AM
Anyone doubt that a gun registry would be hard linked to the Obamacare/IRS Apparat?
slickwillie2001 on May 17, 2013 at 11:38 AM
“You are posting comments too quickly. Slow down.”
Is that new around here?
Oil Can on May 17, 2013 at 11:39 AM
More confusing sophism from Tokyo Joe.
The entire premise under-girding our Second Amendment is a general mistrust for government. It was included in the Bill of Rights to protect all our liberties.
So no, village idiot, one who believes in the Second Amendment and the entirety of our Constitution does not trust the government on “gun control”. By definition it does not merit our trust.
Marcus Traianus on May 17, 2013 at 11:39 AM
Intellectual Muzzle Loader.
oldroy on May 17, 2013 at 11:40 AM
Yes. The presidential election of 2012 was stolen.
slickwillie2001 on May 17, 2013 at 11:40 AM
o/t
Huma Abedin, Anthony Weiner’s Wife, Didn’t Disclose Consulting Work She Did While Serving in State Dept.
Resist We Much on May 17, 2013 at 11:40 AM
No it does not. There is no such thing as negative trust, and it is already at zero.
Fenris on May 17, 2013 at 11:41 AM
If you guys had any sense you’d be at a lottery ticket office with a smartphone.
slickwillie2001 on May 17, 2013 at 11:41 AM
Joe’s flash to bang interval is quite long.
a capella on May 17, 2013 at 11:41 AM
How did my comment get a timestamp 5 minutes before yours?
Let’s do the time warp again…
ITguy on May 17, 2013 at 11:41 AM
Where can I donate to cover the cost?
BobMbx on May 17, 2013 at 11:42 AM
The electorate is not waking up. Republicans are just madder than usual. Democrats are not realizing that Big Government intrusion in their lives is negative. Women are not realizing this. Minorities are not realizing this. If Democrats were capable of realizing such things then Detroit wouldn’t be what it is.
The thing about liberalism is once the relationship of the Daddy-state to the individual is secured it doesn’t go away.
There is no “awakening”. Save yourself.
happytobehere on May 17, 2013 at 11:43 AM
Well. It makes sense that if the IRS has and develops even more expertise at enforcing Obamacare, that they should enforce gun-control.
oldroy on May 17, 2013 at 11:43 AM
These time-travel comments are awesome!
happytobehere on May 17, 2013 at 11:43 AM
6 weeks ago? A joke, sarcasm, jab.
Today? Probably already occurring.
BobMbx on May 17, 2013 at 11:44 AM
These problems have been festering for a while, way back before the 2012 election. Some people are just beginning to wake up about the Big Government intrusion in their lives and its negative impact on their freedoms.
Obysmal’s chickens are coming home to roost.
onlineanalyst on May 17, 2013 at 11:44 AM
Ya think, Genius? Is this guy an intellectual lightweight, or what? Glad you finally woke up, douchebag!
MPan on May 17, 2013 at 11:44 AM
I quote you from the future!!!
happytobehere on May 17, 2013 at 11:44 AM
Like in a back-alley in Benghazi?
oldroy on May 17, 2013 at 11:44 AM
What a shame, we could go back to the days of back alley weapons deals.
Akzed on May 17, 2013 at 11:47 AM
No! He’s only being caught NOW!
GarandFan on May 17, 2013 at 11:47 AM
I remember very well, just a few years ago, whenever the libtards in the media made up a new phony baloney problem about the government’s response to Hurricane Katrina, the fault went straight to the top, with no excuses allowed. It was if W himself was on the scene throwing black people out of the rescue helicopters.
But now it’s “Hey, c’mon B.O. is just one guy, and the government is soooooooo big.”
The real difference is, the Katrina stuff was all fake, these crimes committed by the IRS are the work of evil and powerful socialists.
JackM on May 17, 2013 at 11:47 AM
“Sorry, Mr. Citizen, your gun purchase has been denied. It seems you were once listed as a member of a local Tea Party group.”
Bishop on May 17, 2013 at 11:48 AM
Yeah, just wait for the IRS to get ahold of your medical records. Been feeling low? You’re depressed, no gun for you. Never admit to your doctor that you’ve been feeling low? In denial or else manic, no gun for you.
What, we haven’t repealed the Second Amendment.
rbj on May 17, 2013 at 11:48 AM
Why does Scarborough pretend to be against a National Gun Registry?
happytobehere on May 17, 2013 at 11:49 AM
No, I’ve gotten that before.
CurtZHP on May 17, 2013 at 11:50 AM
I took the Blue pill. How about you?
happytobehere on May 17, 2013 at 11:50 AM
That right there should be the quote of the day
scalleywag on May 17, 2013 at 11:51 AM
heh, without the http: :)
scalleywag on May 17, 2013 at 11:51 AM
These happened in his first term moron!
MPan on May 17, 2013 at 11:52 AM
Uh oh….we’re timewarping again.
BobMbx on May 17, 2013 at 11:53 AM
Um, and their defending that it wasn’t political?
Sure.
socalcon on May 17, 2013 at 11:57 AM
Uh oh! You know what that means?! Your comment was sent to the IRS with your SS #!
kirkill on May 17, 2013 at 11:58 AM
I explained this in another thread. When the god-like Obama learns of something months after he hears about it, the cosmic balance of the universe must be maintained by a million tiny peons being heard before they speak.
Fenris on May 17, 2013 at 11:59 AM
This fool didn’t have the imagination to suspect that the government might act in the best interest of those in control of the government.
And just barely gets that now.
applebutter on May 17, 2013 at 11:59 AM
With wet powder.
kirkill on May 17, 2013 at 12:01 PM
That is making the broad assumption that the government was ever trusted.
DAT60A3 on May 17, 2013 at 12:03 PM
Hey, mods, check the servers.
CurtZHP on May 17, 2013 at 12:04 PM
Some people are a couple of fries short of a Happy Meal. Others are a can short of a six-pack.
Joe is a couple of amendments short of a Constitution.
trigon on May 17, 2013 at 12:05 PM
Scarborough moved to MANHATTAN with his wife Susan; they have a child in school there. Scarborough gets paid good money to suck up to MSNBC brass, and spew the political propaganda he’s paid to spew; And certainly his spouse, Susan, hangs out with other Manhattan moms which, as usual, means “group-think.” One can’t live in Manhattan for long, and have a social life, if one isn’t liberal. Must be contentious going back home to P’cola though. They probably don’t go all that often.
Ergo, Scarborough knows who he needs to please, and he pleases them. He tries, like fat-ass Chris Christie to ride both sides of the fence, calling himself a “Republican,” while supporting Progressive policies.
mountainaires on May 17, 2013 at 12:07 PM
“Your gun purchase will be approved but approval will be revoked and your gun confiscated if you participate in a protest of Planned Parenthood or of any government actions or programs in the future. Thank you for your cooperation with the ATF going forward.”
TXUS on May 17, 2013 at 12:07 PM
You can either question his intelligence, or his integrity. No other explanation
Applause
There is Scarboy’s problem. To be credible he has to acknowledge the power structure of his utopia demands unaccountable powers. There is no guarantee these powers will not be exercised in gun control, or anything else.
There really is a guarantee, the Constitution, but to stand firm for the Constitution means the end of unaccountable powers.
Scarboy is like a dang crack head who feels bad about taking food out of the mouths of his kids, but cannot give up the almighty crack
Small man
entagor on May 17, 2013 at 12:07 PM
Joe who?
jnelchef on May 17, 2013 at 12:08 PM
Which will be Barky’s defense – so knock it off.
If people believe the problem is big government is too hard to manage, Barky skates.
The LIVs don’t understand which party is the party of big government and which is not (though based on recent Republican standard bearers that is understandable) and don’t care.
Either this scandal is tied to Obama or no one will pay a price.
18-1 on May 17, 2013 at 12:08 PM
So Joe finally found a reason for skepticism about the intentions of this government?
Akzed on May 17, 2013 at 12:15 PM
Care to go in halfsies on a Mega Millions ticket?
Maddie on May 17, 2013 at 12:15 PM
…Joe looks like he has something… on his hands!
KOOLAID2 on May 17, 2013 at 12:22 PM
YES. Sadly there is a great job market for token-conservatives.
slickwillie2001 on May 17, 2013 at 12:26 PM
Y’all do realize that the probability that we might end up with Joe Biden as president is increasing daily, right?
Right?
Scheming evil bastard vs. doddering old fool. Hmm.
davisbr on May 17, 2013 at 12:28 PM
I am a man but….
I think Mika gives a bad image to women. She makes them look dumb and subservient. They always have men on Morning Benedict Arnold, I mean Morning Joe, and Mika always looks like the hostess who just coos and pets Joe and his male drinking buds…
William Eaton on May 17, 2013 at 12:41 PM
At some point, we need to realize that “conservative” is a misnomer for what we believe. When there is nothing left to conserve, it becomes time for replacement and restarting.
I believe we’re looking at that scenario right now. It’s time for the Nigel Ferguson of the USA to start speaking openly about leaving the union and starting over.
The USA is dead, folks. Right now all that is happening is that the vultures are living large on its corpse. But the maggots will come, and then the hard bitter bone.
JoseQuinones on May 17, 2013 at 12:42 PM
Easy…Crazy Joe…why?
(1) Easier to Manage
(2) He will run for a second term, thus putting him in direct conflict with other dems creating mass confusion.
William Eaton on May 17, 2013 at 12:44 PM
^ Oops, sorry – I meant the Nigel Farage. ^
JoseQuinones on May 17, 2013 at 12:44 PM
Scarborough.
(shakes head)
F*cking idiot.
ICanSeeNovFromMyHouse on May 17, 2013 at 12:50 PM
Geeeze, Joe come lately, how about trusting the IRS with Obamacare and the death panels to these tin-horn dictators?
But most of all Joe, You of the watch dog class–it you hadn’t all been tail wagging for Obama and eager to become his guard dogs, maybe this would have never come about. But keep pretending to be objective now that his halo if rusting for all to see.
Don L on May 17, 2013 at 12:51 PM
Joe would be a better president than the REB. I’m not saying a good president, but a better president.
slickwillie2001 on May 17, 2013 at 12:51 PM
Methinks that you’re frighteningly close to the big truth!
Don L on May 17, 2013 at 1:01 PM
Last paragraph, good point.
jake49 on May 17, 2013 at 1:11 PM
Remember what happened to “Plumber Joe”. Oh, that was an isolated incident! Conspiracy theory nonsense! An Ohio Child support official checked his record to see if he was a “deadbeat”. That official was a woman who supported and donated to Obama’s campaign.
This stuff happens all the time on the small scale, its human nature. Power corrupts. Thats why you limit government power. Anyone who trusts the US government now is an idiot.
Joe is just rambling on trying to look relevant.
oryguncon on May 17, 2013 at 1:33 PM
Joe slipped out of Mika’s panties for a few minutes.
Schadenfreude on May 17, 2013 at 1:37 PM
Hilarity
Schadenfreude on May 17, 2013 at 1:48 PM
At least he didn’t get the dead horse head in his bed like the Tea Party/Patriot 501c(3)(4) applicants.
Turtle317 on May 17, 2013 at 2:07 PM
You do realize that is some serious wishful thinking, right? Nothing is going to happen to Obama. He’s going nowhere. Pretty much no one else is going to be affected either. These scandals will be old news by next week. Meanwhile, while everyone is being distracted from these scandals that will go nowhere, the amnesty gang in the house acting in secret to sell out the country came to an agreement yesterday, and pretty much no one knows about it.
xblade on May 17, 2013 at 2:20 PM
You know, Joe’s been running his mouth how he and Obama are in the same meetings and he talks to Obama for 4 or 5 hours a day. Why wouldn’t he be tarred with the same brush? So that leaves us with President Boehner?
Mitoch55 on May 17, 2013 at 2:56 PM
Hey Scarby – there is trust in the government? To do what?
TerryW on May 17, 2013 at 2:57 PM
The left would really, really love to believe that, but we shouldn’t humor them. Fast and Furious was a first term scandal that is still not over. IRS, and Benghazi are both first term scandals that Obama and his propaganda team, the media, have desperately pushed back past the election, so they can hardly be dismissed as “second term” scandals.
It’s not just an Obama scandal, since it could just as easily be a scandal for any big government types. But let’s not forget that this “big government scandal” did, in fact, happen under Obama, and can hardly be dismissed as just a big government scandal.
Obama already won’t take responsibility for anything.
There Goes the Neighborhood on May 17, 2013 at 4:01 PM
Actually, the IRS revelations don’t make the government any less trustworthy, Joe. They merely expose and underline how very untrustworthy it has already become under Obama.
Not that a guy who resigned in disgrace rather than face the tough questions has any room to criticize anyone else, Joe.
Adjoran on May 17, 2013 at 5:47 PM
“You know, Joe’s been running his mouth how he and Obama are in the same meetings and he talks to Obama for 4 or 5 hours a day. Why wouldn’t he be tarred with the same brush? So that leaves us with President Boehner?”
The House of Representatives would have to impeach both of them, the Senate would have to convict them both. Now think Clinton, the House impeached and the Senate rejected the House’s indictment. Also think Nixon/Agnew, Biden steps down Obama appoints say Valerie Jarrett to VP and pardons Biden. President VJ pardons Barry. Then appoints Bill Ayers to VP.
jpmn on May 18, 2013 at 7:36 AM