Sounds to me like wishful thinking on the part of the leftmedia and their statist kin.
Posted on 08/15/2007 11:29:17 AM PDT by neverdem
FORT WORTH -- Don Burrows needed some cash for a recent scuba diving trip.
So the East Texan drove to Fort Worth, taped a "For Sale" sign to his back and walked around a gun show, hoping to sell extra ammunition he had stockpiled.
"I needed some extra beer money," he said with a grin.
There, he was among gun aficionados privately peddling guns and ammo, saying it's a good way to cash in on belongings they want to unload.
But in the wake of the Virginia Tech killings and other gun violence this year, critics are calling for more regulations on everything from gun shows to background checks.
The battle over gun control is back, and it's reaching into city halls, state legislatures and the halls of Congress. Presidential candidates are talking about it, Jesse Jackson is talking about it, and Congress is on track to possibly pass the first federal gun control legislation since 1994.
Part of the push is for tougher restrictions on gun shows, which have been popular in North Texas for decades. Gun advocates like Burrows believe that's misguided.
"These are law-abiding citizens here," Burrows, marketing director for a nonprofit in Tyler, said at a recent High Caliber Gun and Knife Show at the Will Rogers Memorial Center.
"If there are undesirables, most people won't sell to them. Criminals will always get guns" and don't care about gun control laws, he said.
Rising concerns
Each year, countless guns change hands at thousands of gun shows nationwide.
A recent study of gun shows cites a continuing problem of illegal transactions, including gun sales by unlicensed dealers and "straw purchases," in which people with no criminal or mental-illness history buy guns for people with records. The recent study by Garen Wintemute, director of the violence-prevention research program at the University of California, Davis, contends that police presence at the shows is too small to discourage illegal activity.
In 2005 and 2006, Wintemute attended 28 gun shows in Texas (in Dallas and Houston), Nevada, Florida, Arizona and California -- areas where he said guns are acquired and later used in crimes in California. Afterward, he urged lawmakers nationwide to put more restrictions on gun shows.
"I would like to see a policy change that makes direct private-party transfers of guns illegal," Wintemute said. "And I'd like much more vigorous law enforcement presence at gun shows. I noticed the illegal stuff was conducted right out in the open.
"Bad guys had no concern they might be caught."
Local controls
While Congress and state legislatures debate the issue, officials in communities such as Colleyville and Arlington say gun control isn't on city council agendas right now.
The most recent major debate was in Fort Worth in 2000, when city leaders considered putting more restrictions on gun shows held at city facilities. Fort Worth officials talked for months about proposals to encourage federal lawmakers to require background checks at gun shows or even restrict the leasing of city facilities for gun shows so that only licensed dealers could sell firearms.
For now, that debate is unlikely to be revived, some say.
"We have plenty on our plate ... to keep us busy," Mayor Mike Moncrief said.
In fiscal 2005-06, the city picked up more than $122,000 in revenue from 11 gun shows at the Will Rogers Memorial Center and one at the Fort Worth Convention Center, city records show.
Proposed laws
Proposed changes to federal firearms laws are on the table in Congress, where gun control advocates have failed to toughen regulations since 1994.
One measure calls for strengthening the national background check system. It also includes spending $400 million a year for five years to help states automate lists of people barred from buying guns, including the mentally ill and convicted criminals, and report those lists to the FBI. That is part of the School Safety and Law Enforcement Improvement Act, prompted largely by school shootings.
A Senate committee approved the plan this month. Officials said they hope to prevent another tragedy like the Virginia Tech shootings in April, when Seung Hui Cho killed 32 people before shooting himself. A similar House version approved this summer set aside $250 million to help states with the background check system.
Several groups, including the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, the Violence Policy Center and the Legal Community Against Violence, say they support the overall goal but see problems in the Senate bill.
That version, they say, may create loopholes that could rearm drug dealers and sex offenders and make veterans who had been prohibited from owning guns because of mental-health issues eligible to have them again.
"The bill's original intent ... is an important objective that would improve enforcement of federal laws governing persons prohibited from possessing firearms," said Robyn Thomas, executive director of the Legal Community Against Violence. "The amendments ... risk undermining those laws."
Also pending in Congress is a "Gun Show Loophole Closing Act of 2007," geared to require criminal-background checks for all firearm transactions at events where guns change hands.
This has drawn criticism from groups such as the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action, which said the measure "masquerades as reform -- imposing bureaucratic restrictions aimed at shutting down gun shows -- without fixing real problems." The NRA, however, has supported some of the proposed federal changes.
Political platforms
Jesse Jackson is going to trial in November on a charge of criminal trespassing after he refused to move from a gun-shop entrance in Illinois. He stood there this summer in support of stronger gun laws.
"No jail cell can break our spirits," Jackson told a church congregation. "We have never lost a battle we fought; we have never won a battle we didn't fight. So we must fight now to plan our children's futures, not their funerals."
Jackson has also declared Aug. 28 -- the 44th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech at the March on Washington -- a national day of protest for tougher gun laws.
The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms has likewise called for a day of action, in support of what its members consider their Second Amendment rights to own firearms.
Meanwhile, Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama is criticizing the Bush administration for not banning assault rifles after nearly three dozen children were killed with them in Chicago during the past year.
"Our playgrounds have become battlefields," the Illinois senator has said. "Our streets have become cemeteries.
"I'm sick and tired of seeing our young people gunned down."
Supporters of another presidential hopeful -- Ron Paul -- showed up at the recent gun show in Fort Worth, handing out fliers stating that the Surfside Republican believes in the constitutional right to bear arms.
To spread the candidate's message, they also carried signs, including one that said "Ron Paul Thinks Your Guns Are None Of His Business."
Local shows
At the show in Fort Worth, crowds perused everything from guns and knives to Western wear and flashlights.
A line grew at the entrance as police unloaded and secured guns and rifles being taken in for possible sale.
Inside, people milled around, looking at Tasers, gun safes, sunglasses, hunting knives, belt buckles -- and guns.
Among them was Don Wright, an X-ray technician from Waco.
He was trying to sell an extra Colt .45, but he said he enjoys gun shows so much that he now does his grocery shopping on Fridays so he can travel around to shows on the weekend.
And he's not worried about security or illegal gun sales.
"If somebody really wants a gun, they can get one," the 52-year-old said as he watched police officers walking around the show. "When people go around shooting people, it's not because of the gun. It's because of the psycho holding the gun.
"More restrictions are not needed. People will go around getting [guns] anyway."
Staff writers Susan Schrock and Bill Teeter contributed to this report.
Gun laws
New gun restrictions proposed in other parts of the country include:
Illinois: The governor called a special session for lawmakers to work on a gun control bill geared to prevent a "large-capacity ammunition-feeding device" from being made or sold in the state.
Philadelphia: Lawmakers recently approved a gun control bill compelling police to trace illegal firearms confiscated from people under 21 and report the guns to a registry.
San Francisco: Leaders created city ordinances banning possession of firearms or ammunition on county property, following the lead of Los Angeles County. They also required privately owned handguns to be stored in a locked container or with a trigger lock.
Ventura County, Calif.: A new rule in several communities requires owners to report the loss or theft of their guns within 72 hours or face misdemeanor charges.
Martin Luther King and guns: a history lesson
Both sides in America's long-running dispute over gun control have declared a national day of protest on Aug. 28, the 44th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech at the historic civil rights march on Washington.
Gun control advocates plan marches in at least 25 cities, including Dallas, to demand tougher restrictions on firearms purchases and possession. Gun rights advocates are scheduling counterdemonstrations and urging their backers to buy weapons and ammunition and visit gun ranges that day.
Both sides are using King's legacy to bolster their arguments.
Jesse Jackson, the chief organizer of the demonstrations for stronger controls, points to King's crusades for nonviolence in rallying support. "We have the right to live safe and secure, no matter where we live in America," said Jackson, who was with King when he was assassinated in 1968.
Alan Gottlieb, chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, said: "The great hypocrisy here is that Dr. King's historic march was to promote and defend civil rights. What Jesse Jackson is planning is designed to crush America's most important civil right -- a right that Dr. King exercised by owning a handgun."
Did King own a gun?
Yes. In his writings and in interviews, King, the object of many death threats, acknowledged once owning a gun in Montgomery, Ala., and seeking a license to carry in a gun in his car. In The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr., he wrote that the issue of armed protection arose after a bombing at his home. He ultimately rejected armed defense, however, because he decided that it was inconsistent with his message.
The explanation in King's words
"After the bombings, many of the officers of my church and other trusted friends urged me to hire a bodyguard and armed watchmen for my house. When my father came to town, he concurred with both of these suggestions. I tried to tell them that I had no fears now and consequently needed no weapons for protection. This they would not hear. They insisted that I protect the house and family, even if I didn't want to protect myself. In order to satisfy the wishes of these close friends and associates, I decided to consider the question of an armed guard. I went down to the sheriff's office and applied for a license to carry a gun in the car; but this was refused.
"Meanwhile I reconsidered. How could I serve as one of the leaders of a nonviolent movement and at the same time use weapons of violence for my personal protection? Coretta and I talked the matter over for several days and finally agreed that arms were no solution. We decided then to get rid of the one weapon we owned. We tried to satisfy our friends by having floodlights mounted around the house, and hiring unarmed watchmen around the clock. I also promised that I would not travel around the city alone.
"I was much more afraid in Montgomery when I had a gun in my house. When I decided that I couldn't keep a gun, I came face-to-face with the question of death and I dealt with it. From that point on, I no longer needed a gun nor have I been afraid. Had we become distracted by the question of my safety we would have lost the moral offensive and sunk to the level of our oppressors."
-- From The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Sounds to me like wishful thinking on the part of the leftmedia and their statist kin.
Desperate Libs Beat Anti-Gun Drum (minorites and women hit hardest)
SHHHUUSSSSHHHH!
LOL, the libs are between a rock and a hard place on this one. The 'things' he describes as straw purchases are black and hispanic women buying guns. Nothing like a little racial profiling from a lib.
What? 36 kids killed with just in Chicago by “assault weapons” in one-year? Sorry, I call bull$hit on that...AP, please provide me with a reliable and unbiased source for that statistic. (My guess, “they” included gang bangers less then 21 as “kids”)
As for the libs, what was the public reaction to the VA Tech shootings?
We bought more guns!
D'oh!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_QjEL0uUgo
Obama Calls for Permanent Assault Weapons Ban to Combat Inner-City Violence
Nearly three dozen Chicago students have been killed this year, according to Chicago Public Schools. (by assault weapons? or just gangstas?) (snip)
He said the government needs to permanently reinstate an assault weapons ban and close regulatory loopholes that protect unscrupulous gun dealers.
Obama attacks violence in Chicago
"A couple weeks ago, cops found an AK-47 near a West Side school," he said. "That type of weapon belongs on a battlefield, not on the streets of Chicago." (oh, well then there is at least one "assault weapon" in Chicago but apparently no one was shot with it. oh wait, it was just a semiauto copy. never mind.) (snip)
"In Room 104 at Avalon Park Elementary School, an empty chair is pushed against the wall in memory of Quinton Jackson, the 8th grader who used to sit there, and who was stabbed to death a few months ago," he said. (hmm, well that one was stabbed to death. not exactly an "assault weapon". perhaps the 8th grader sat in elementary school three years too long and someone wanted his seat?)
Teen playing dice is shot, killed
An 18-year-old man was fatally shot overnight while playing dice near his West Side home, Chicago police said. (snip)
The victim, Robert Thomas, was playing dice on the corner with several other people when a gunman in black clothing approached and fired on the group, striking Thomas in the neck and back, Officer Marcel Bright said. The gunman was last seen running south on Lawler. (running with his..."assault weapon"? not too conclusive there.)
Bright said no one else was struck and that the killer was at large this afternoon. He said witnesses who were with the victim were not cooperating with police. (but why are these school children victims not cooperating with police? they must be so traumatized, that's it)
Gang's memorial event ends in fatal shooting
The deadly confrontation came after members of the La Raza street gang gathered in the 4400 block of West Cortez Avenue for the memorial shortly after midnight Saturday, prosecutors said. A quarrel allegedly led to a fistfight.
"After the fistfight ended, [Hernandez] produced a handgun and opened fire on the group, striking one victim in the head and a second victim in the left leg," Assistant State's Atty. Katherine Malloy said in court. (a handgun. well we can call it an "assault weapon".)
Father sues police over son's shooting
Family of teen, police question chase, shooting
Protests, probe follow fatal shooting by cops
As of July 12, the Office of Professional Standards investigated 21 police-involved shootings in 2007 involving 23 people, 10 of whom died, Bond said. In 2006, the office investigated 26 police-involved shootings, 10 of which were fatal, she said.
(if the police shot some of them, does that means police are carrying "assault weapons"? and why would police shoot these peaceful, innocent school children? golly, gee, it sounds like Obama and Jesse should just ban Chicago police.)
Sorry for the rambling collection of Chicago news clippings but I was trying to find the 36 children killed by "assault weapons" Obama mentioned. I couldn't find them. But I'm sure if they take all my firearms away, these peaceful Chicago school children will be safe.
I wish I could remember who was telling me (and no it wasn’t you) that gun control was a dead issue even after the Democraps won big in Kongress, “because it was a loser issue for them”
Don't get to excited about it, up until Kennedy was shot we could go into a store and buy a gun and walk out with it right them. We could order guns by mail, you simply signed a statement that you were over 21 and whammo! your gun arrived in the mail.
Crime was lower, kids never shot each other in school and citizens could defend themselves at will. Every county in CA let you have a CCW if you passed the background check, you could carry a handgun openly(in a holster of course)and long guns also where ever you wanted(in CA).NYC was the only large city with oppresive gun laws and they had the highest crime rate.
The gun laws they have now haven't stopped, or even slowed down, crime, all they have done is make it harder for citizens to own firearms, and of course that is their real intent and purpose regardless of what anti-gun fanatics say.
Osam bin obama is a lying SOS. SO what else is new?
This explains a letter in the Florida Bar News newspaper this month.
A wacko left wing lawyer was quoting Handgun Control Inc. and pushing the BS talking points of gun control.
hand guns are for killing people.
properly registered guns are ok. (FL does NOT have gun registration ala chicago or NYC) Second amendment is for sport. blah blah blah.
However this is in a newspaper for lawyers so we need a lawyer who is second amendment familiar to write to the Florida Bar Newspaper at mkillian@flabar.org
Sigh. Could also buy 20 and 37 mm mail order. Solothurns and Lahtis and ammo galore.
If you let the dems take over the presidency as well as the senate and congress yo uWILL lose your ability to have guns and AMMO.
That's probably a federal violation. You can only purchase a handgun in your own state of residency. Any other purchase has to be shipped to an FFL in your state for pickup.
From your description of the seller, it was probably a safe transaction from the original owner. A private seller should at least check your driver's license to make sure he isn't illegally transferring a handgun to a non-resident. The seller also has a legal exposure. Absent the declarations on the Form 4473 and/or a NICS check, the seller doesn't know whether the buyer is a "prohibited person".
Your successful transaction was probably in violation of a GCA68 statute. Not something you want to repeatedly bring up in conversation lest it attract attention to you and the seller.
As much as I would like to agree with you, the left walked into an at least U shaped ambush, and wound up surrounded, defeated in detail in 1994. Besides overreaching on gun control, they had Hillary care rejected, and passed one of the biggest tax increases after Clinton promised a middle class tax cut in 1992. The Contract with America didn't hurt either.
That said, I don't remember when the left pushing gun control has hurt the GOP since 1994. That's why I'm dubious about McCain, Romney or Giuliani getting the GOP nomination, and that's why I have to change my registration to vote in the GOP primary in NY. I've always been registered Conservative in NY.
>You also don’t know if that firearm has been used in the commission of a crime prior to your purchase. Absent any paperwork to prove the date on which you became the owner, you might well become a suspect in possession of a firearm used in a criminal act.<
I would hope that you have enough brains to write up a bill of sale and put both signatures on it when you make a private sale or purchase.
That protects both parties.
That’s fantastic. Thank you for that..
Wise suggestion.
really good word!
CYA!
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