Posted on 03/02/2007 5:21:37 AM PST by absolootezer0
DURHAM - Gun owners looking to reload would have to show a permit every time they buy ammunition, if a bill backed by Durham officials gains state approval. The proposal championed by the Rev. Melvin Whitley, a local community activist, will face opposition from gun-rights groups.
Whitley told state lawmakers and Durham City Council members Monday that anyone over 18 can buy ammunition without being subject to any background check. That means felons, who aren't allowed to own guns or ammo, can buy bullets unfettered.
Requiring a permit to buy bullets, just as the state does for firearms, is a "no-brainer," he said.
"It's a wonder we have not identified this loophole in the past," Whitley told council members.
But Paul Valone, president of Grass Roots North Carolina, a gun-rights lobbying group, called the idea "ludicrous."
Felons with the means and determination to obtain a gun illegally wouldn't have any trouble finding a way around the bullet-permit law, Valone said.
"The only people this would restrict is law-abiding gun owners," Valone said.
"We will be happy to defeat this bill and any legislator who supports it."
Rep. Mickey Michaux, a Durham Democrat, expects such stiff opposition. The bill hasn't been introduced, but Michaux said it would be soon in one or both chambers of the General Assembly.
Michaux supports the idea.
But he said the bill has "about the same chance as getting a ban on handguns in this state. We've been outnumbered over the years by the strong arm of the [National Rifle Association]."
Illinois has a similar law, enacted in 1968. It requires people to apply for a Firearm Owner's Identification Card that must be displayed when buying a firearm or ammunition.
It costs $5 and is valid for five years.
There are about 1.2 million card holders in the state, according to the Illinois State Police Web site.
Even supporters have questions about logistics.
Ron Hodge, deputy chief of the Durham Police Department, said it wouldn't be hard to issue a bullet card with a handgun permit. The trouble would come with people who already have obtained their handgun permit having to go through another permitting process, Hodge said.
That would be cumbersome for the agency distributing the permits -- likely county sheriffs -- and for legal gun owners, he said.
Whitley said any inconveniences are trumped by the need to add another hurdle in the path of violent criminals.
"It's the bullets that are hurting us," he said.
"We're going to have to take one step at a time, and the first step is necessarily -- given the political realities -- going to be very modest ...
So then we'll have to start working again to strengthen the law, and then again to strengthen the next law, and maybe again and again. Right now, though, we'd be satisfied not with half a loaf but with a slice. Our ultimate goal -- total control of handguns in the United States -- is going to take time ....
The first problem is to slow down the increasing number of guns being produced and sold in this country.
The second problem is to get handguns registered.
And the final problem is to make the possession of *all* handguns and *all* handgun ammunition -- except for the military, policemen, licensed security guards, licensed sporting clubs, and licensed gun collectors -- totally illegal." --
Pete Shields, Chairman Emeritus, Handgun Control, Inc. ( "The New Yorker", July 26, 1976 )
That is chilling.
should have a BARF ALERT attached....
.....what these a-hole liberal gun grabbers still dont get is you arrest and incarcerate perps and give them extra time for using a gun in the commission of a crime...then the problem, for the most part goes away....
Or time to go fire one :-) But kidding aside, stocking up isn't the way to go. bombarding politicians telling them you think this idea is moronic and anyone who supports it should have a career doling out fries rather than in government office is the way to go.
Looks like I'm going to have to keep my ammo dry indefinitely.
By suggesting a need for bullet permits aren't they accidentally admitting that gun permits are not effective in keeping guns out of the hands of criminals? And if gun permits are not effective what makes them think bullet permits would be?
Want be able to breathe a huge sigh of relief? This is the ONLY solution to long term whims of the elitists who will keep this issue alive. Simply vote anybody who supports the bill out of office with decisive margins!!! That's the ONLY power that the politicians respect: The power of the VOTE.
Nanny State run Amok!!!
Make Mike Dillon even richer!
"It's a wonder we have not identified this loophole in the past," Whitley told council members
This is in Durham? The same state where it is legal to make false rape charges against white men?
What ever happened to Southern Whites in North Carolian.
Did they all die?
ping
Worse, he's a "community activist" That's a moron who want's to bring everyone down to his level.
Translation: An A-hole busybody who refuses to stay out of other people's business.
Mail order...
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