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NJ

Forget the assault-weapons ban and focus on better background checks

It’s a far easier lift to improve the background-check system than to revive a defective, widely reviled, and weak assault-weapons ban, but since Newtown, assault weapons are making the headlines. Vice President Joe Biden will unveil a sweeping gun-control agenda in late January that will include as marquee items an assault-weapons ban and limits on high-capacity ammunition. Closing background-check loopholes falls under the fine print.

But it shouldn’t. Current law requires licensed firearms dealers to run potential buyers’ names and Social Security numbers through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, or NICS. The system works pretty well, and if gun shops were the only places where people could go to purchase guns, it would work even better.

Gun-control advocates and the White House want to institute background checks for private sales, most of which happen at gun shows, accounting for almost half of the country’s purchases. Interstate trafficking of guns generally is 48 percent lower in states where private gun sales are regulated, according to a 2009 Johns Hopkins study…

There is less disagreement about background checks than other gun-control issues, which means the administration may want to go for a larger bite of the apple. The most hard-core Republicans say that background checks are OK. Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, a tea party favorite, said he supports them for people seeking to carry a concealed weapon. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas said he wants to strengthen NICS. Gun owners and dealers say that broadened background checks are a good idea. Still, neither Jordan nor Cruz has mentioned closing the gun-show loophole.

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Like the one they did on the kid in Newtown that prevented him from killing his mother and stealing her guns ? Right. Nevermind

deadrody on January 11, 2013 at 3:31 PM

Hear, hear. Stop those bad people from shooting others. Let them instead start bombing and poisoning people….

apostic on January 11, 2013 at 3:35 PM

Like the one they did on the kid in Newtown that prevented him from killing his mother and stealing her guns ? Right. Nevermind

deadrody on January 11, 2013 at 3:31 PM

What details do we really know about this shooting yet anyway? We don’t even know for sure if her guns weren’t locked up and whether she really was a survivalist. Rush said the only source for her being a prepper was from something her sister in law said.

But better background checks? Thing is… the left can corrupt anything. If they could ban guns just by having total control of the background checks. Parking ticket? No gun. You told your doctor you’d like to stop taking your blood pressure meds and try dieting instead? Could be a risk. No gun.

JellyToast on January 11, 2013 at 3:38 PM

And just a few tweaks to the law would ensure that everyone who buys a gun through legal channels must first be checked against a database that sorts out felons, stalkers, and drug abusers.

Drug abusers? What exactly does that mean? If someone got caught with a doobie 15 years ago in a state where it’s now legal and they can’t buy a gun?

Does “drug abuser” include underage drinking? Drunk driving? How many years ago would disqualify someone?

“Stalker” is a concern too. Could this apply to every guy who has had the cops called on him by an angry girlfriend? what exactly does that mean?

forest on January 11, 2013 at 3:39 PM

I know. Let’s throw our hands and say ‘nothing can be done.’ Then we can b+tch about it on the internet like the douche bags we are. Oh wait, you got me covered. Nevermind.

lostmotherland on January 11, 2013 at 3:39 PM

Gun-control advocates and the White House want to institute background checks for private sales, most of which happen at gun shows

I was at a gun show a couple of weeks ago and they were doing background checks. Am I missing something or is this mis-information?

tommer74 on January 11, 2013 at 3:40 PM

Focus on the constitution.

Schadenfreude on January 11, 2013 at 3:40 PM

I think their obsession with “assault weapons” is precisely because they believe in tyranny, and don’t want the voters to have the ability to resist tyranny.

Steven Den Beste on January 11, 2013 at 3:41 PM

I think their obsession with “assault weapons” is precisely because they believe in tyranny, and don’t want the voters to have the ability to resist tyranny.

Grow up. Who are you, Paul Revere?

lostmotherland on January 11, 2013 at 3:45 PM

focus on better background checks

Focus on getting rid of the unconstitutional gun-free massacre zones.

FloatingRock on January 11, 2013 at 3:46 PM

Gun-control advocates and the White House want to institute background checks for private sales, most of which happen at gun shows, accounting for almost half of the country’s purchases.

Is this accurate? Half of all private sales are at gun shows? I find this hard to believe. How would they even know how many private gun transactions there are?

Rocks on January 11, 2013 at 3:46 PM

isen’t believing that the goverment is a tyrant and will come for your guns a paranoid delusion… these ppl could not buy guns!

nathor on January 11, 2013 at 3:50 PM

Oh wait, you got me covered. Nevermind.

lostnannystate on January 11, 2013 at 3:39 PM

You have no idea….

CurtZHP on January 11, 2013 at 3:50 PM

10,000,000 backgrounds checks performed.
700,000 refused guns because they did not pass.
0 prosecutions.

Citizen-003528 on January 11, 2013 at 3:52 PM

I know. Let’s throw our hands and say ‘nothing can be done.’ Then we can b+tch about it on the internet like the douche bags we are. Oh wait, you got me covered. Nevermind.

lostmotherland on January 11, 2013 at 3:39 PM

Sure something can be done. Arm teachers in schools. We could even have gun safety and shooting accuracy classes in high school. We can teach it right after we show them how to put condoms on bananas.

I’m sure you’ll love these stories too….

http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-TV/2013/01/10/Concealed-Weapon-Carrier-Saved-His-Baby-By-Shooting-Robber-In-Driveway

http://www.khou.com/news/crime/Burglary-suspect-shot-by-15-year-old-son-of-deputy-97430719.html

gwelf on January 11, 2013 at 3:53 PM

Just do what your television tells you to do, people.

kunegetikos on January 11, 2013 at 3:53 PM

How about we pass a law against murdering people with any weapon…

Oh wait…we have those…

I think the 2nd Amendment is pretty darn clear…

As passed by the Congress:
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
As ratified by the States and authenticated by Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of State:
A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.

That pesky word “infringed” must have had a different meaning back then, like that Militia one ;)

ProfShadow on January 11, 2013 at 3:55 PM

I know. Let’s throw our hands and say ‘nothing can be done.’ Then we can b+tch about it on the internet like the douche bags we are. Oh wait, you got me covered. Nevermind.

lostmotherland on January 11, 2013 at 3:39 PM

Obama’s kids go to a school with armed guards. Why isn’t that good enough for the rest of America too?

gwelf on January 11, 2013 at 3:59 PM

I know. Let’s throw our hands and say ‘nothing can be done.’ Then we can b+tch about it on the internet like the douche bags we are. Oh wait, you got me covered. Nevermind.

lostmotherland on January 11, 2013 at 3:39 PM

Why are you maligning douche bags? At least they serve a purpose. You don’t.

kim roy on January 11, 2013 at 3:59 PM

I think their obsession with “assault weapons” is precisely because they believe in tyranny, and don’t want the voters to have the ability to resist tyranny.

Steven Den Beste on January 11, 2013 at 3:41 PM

That’s the only thing that makes sense, since those guns are rarely used in murders. Even if they all magically vanished today, the murder rate would stay virtually the same.

juliesa on January 11, 2013 at 4:00 PM

I was at a gun show a couple of weeks ago and they were doing background checks. Am I missing something or is this mis-information?

tommer74 on January 11, 2013 at 3:40 PM

Complete misinformation. They’re conflating the very few private gun owners walking around outside the show trying to sell their guns with all gun purchases made at the show. ALL firearms sellers who exhibit for sale at a gun show must conduct a background check on every sale.

I suppose 40% of gun sales do occur at shows, but from my experience private sales do not comprise even 1% of those sales. Or…perhaps 40% of all private sales occur at gun shows. Either way, the amount of gun sales without background checks doesn’t even approach a meaningful number.

And even then, a gun show is just a location where gun-minded people gather. Private sales don’t have to happen at the show, they could just as easily happen as a result of a classified ad or hanging out at a shooting range.

James on January 11, 2013 at 4:01 PM

Sorry, I won’t agree to universal background checks ever. That’s been one of the overriding goals of the anti-gun left, and for good reason. Implement universal background checks and that spells the end of gun possession in this country, and the Left knows it…that’s why they keep pushing for it.

The reality here, and the thing that most non gun-owners don’t know (and I would guess a significant minority of gun-owners as well) is that the law requiring background checks at FFLs doesn’t have anything to do with SALES. It has to do with TRANSFERS. FFLs transfer guns all the time without actually selling them.

So here’s what life under a universal background check system would look like:

1) You have a couple of guns in your house locked in a gun cabinet. Your wife has a key. You go out of town on business. You are now both felons because your wife has possession of those guns (yep, this is a transfer) without you having run a background check.

2) You go trap shooting with your brother. He asks to borrow your shotgun for the day. You lend it to him…and commit a felony because you just made a transfer without performing a background check.

3) Your 12 year old kid wants to go plinking. You have a nice Ruger 10/22 you decide to give him since he’s now old enough. Hope you like wearing orange.

The Left lusts after universal background checks for a reason, and it isn’t to try and curb gun sales to criminals. It’s to burden and outright eliminate gun possession by all.

JohnTant on January 11, 2013 at 4:01 PM

I was at a gun show a couple of weeks ago and they were doing background checks. Am I missing something or is this mis-information?

tommer74 on January 11, 2013 at 3:40 PM

This.

I went to a show two years ago and being the first time, I asked what was envolved. They all said they had to do a background check and it would take three days?

I can’t believe the press gets away with this garbage.

WisRich on January 11, 2013 at 4:10 PM

I can’t believe the press gets away with this garbage.

WisRich on January 11, 2013 at 4:10 PM

Why not? They are after all the propaganda unit of the left and they have a complete lock on all media outlets. The another one is academia and now they are trying to add churches. Control the comunacations and you control the people. It’s that simple.

Dr. Frank Enstine on January 11, 2013 at 4:30 PM

The whole “gun show loophole” It needs to be thought of like a car sale. If you sell your old car you do not need to file and collect taxes as it will be one car and the number is to low to make a difference thus a car sale loophole in the tax code. But if you sell a hundred cars a year from a dealership the taxes need to be filed and all the paperwork with it. People who have a table at guns show all have a FFL and if you have a FFL no matter where you sell a gun paperwork has to be filed. If you sell it out of the back of your truck in the parking lot and have a FFL (to be legal) and not risk everything that comes with having a FFL you need to file paperwork.

tjexcite on January 11, 2013 at 4:31 PM

There is no “gun show loophole” by any means.

The vendors that aren’t doing background checks are typically selling, oh, jerky (love me some gun show beef jerky!), holsters, books, ammo, etc.

You know, stuff you don’t need a background check (legally) to conduct. But they get counted as “loophole” vendors.

And yeah, those guys walking around with their M1 on their back, a “for sale” sign stuck in the barrel.

I think we need to start background checks…starting with Obama. Yeah, I went there…

We need to solve the VIOLENCE and MENTAL HEALTH problems, since it is not a GUN problem.

ProfShadow on January 11, 2013 at 4:34 PM

Here is a novel idea. Lets teach the Constitution to children. Lets teach self reliance and personal responsibility. leftism has been raising Americas children. It is found wanting and has been a failure of epic proportions. The odd thing about the leftists and progressive trolls here at HA is they expect me to trust them. Yet they have no trust of me. Logic commands I not trust them. Oh, lost, I still have that shovel at the ready.

Bmore on January 11, 2013 at 6:05 PM