Posted on 01/31/2008 12:15:00 PM PST by neverdem
People who buy guns at gun shows would have to undergo the same background checks as those who buy them at gun stores under a bill introduced Wednesday by Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg.
"It defies common sense that a loophole in federal law lets unlicensed dealers sell firearms at gun shows without running a background check on the buyer," Lautenberg, D-N.J., said at a Capitol news conference where a victim and several relatives of victims of the deadly shootings at Virginia Tech last year also spoke.
The shooter in that case, who had been treated for mental illness, did not buy at a gun show, but the victims and families have been pressing for stronger gun laws overall.
"If there's a way for a person to get a gun without a background check, then how can any background checks work?" said Andy Goddard, whose son was shot while in a French class.
Lautenberg sponsored a similar bill in 1999 that barely passed the Senate but died later in the legislative process. He said he believed the Virginia Tech killings should highlight the need for ensuring all gun purchasers are screened.
"It's a matter of urgency," Lautenberg said.
Court has your Second Amendment rights directly in its cross hairs
The current laws don't seem to be working where they're already implemented, so let's implement them everywhere... /sarc
I assume he means checks to see if those attending are legal residents of the United States.
Simple solution, if somebody’s too messed up to own or handle firearms, keep him locked up. That worked all during the 1800s.
Which reminds me, I need to buy some rope.
I’ve been to many gun shows and whenever I’ve purchased a gun there, I had to go through the whole process including the two week waiting period. The only time it wasn’t required was in the case of purchasing an “antique” gun— I think it had to be manufactured 50 years prior. That one I could walk away with.
Fixed it!
...and I’m sure the FBI’s NICS system will be up and running smoothly for every weekend gun show in America and not experience any I/T “outages” or “downtime” as happened regularly during the Clinton years.
Many states already require this; yours is probably one. The absurdity of it becomes very clear when you realize you can't even exchange/inherit guns among family without a background check.
So let me get this straight. A private citizen will not be allowed to sell a firearm at a gunshow without running a background check, but they and their potential customer can simply step outside of the auditorium where the gunshow is taking place and still do the transaction without a background check?
Yeah sure, that makes sense (???).
After they fix this “loophole” they’ll go after the dealers. Loutenberg simply wants to ban gun shows but he knows he hasn’t got the votes to do it all at once.
The shows I’ve been to don’t seem to allow non-licensed private individuals to sell— I am not 100% clear on the rules. It’s California. But all the non-antique guns I’ve purchased from multiple sellers were put through the system.
IIRC, the federal law states that if this should happen the dealer may proceed with the sale without penalty. I know in my state, under misinformation from the rumor mill/state police, dealers will not do this because they believe they will lose their license, but I'm sure that the original version of the law included this provision to ensure that the "our computers are down" excuse couldn't be invoked to create a de facto ban on all gun sales.
Wow, I thought Lautenberg was embalmed. I guess nothing will get a dead politician moving like a good ole gun banning bill.
Thia asshole is senile .It is time for him to go to pasture .
Rules are the same at gunshows. The Sen was senile decades ago.
Holy crap. I thought he was dead, too. Maybe he and Greenspan should go play some pinochle in the old folks home and leave the rest of us alone.
Makes sense.
Secondly, he's delusional.
If the pukes in Congress would give up their Capitol police, Secret Service and other body guards, they might have some moral stature to discuss this issue. Alas they're not going to give up their right of self-defense, so there's no sense in our allowing them to take away our right.
I’ve bought several guns at gun shows and have never been given the firearm without a background check - and I live in Utah. WTF are these people talking about?
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