Posted on 04/22/2009 7:13:31 PM PDT by neverdem
Several high-ranking senators led by Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) on Tuesday relaunched their push to require gun sellers to conduct background checks on purchases of all types of guns at state gun shows.
On the heels of the 10-year anniversary of the Columbine shootings the lawmakers pushed to close the gun show “loophole” that exists in more than 30 states.
These states do not require personal gun sellers, who are authorized to hawk their own firearms at gun shows, to conduct a background check on buyers of the guns. This allows people with criminal histories to easily obtain weapons like those used in the Columbine killings, according to lawmakers.
Measures similar to Lautenberg’s bill have passed the Senate twice before but have failed to pass the House because of pressure from gun lobbying organizations like the National Rifle Association, said Lautenberg, who was joined Tuesday by Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Jack Reed (D-R.I.).
“There is no rational reason to oppose closing the loophole,” said Lautenberg, the bill’s sponsor. “The reason it’s still not closed issimple: the continuing power of the special interest gun lobby in Washington.”
The NRA strongly opposes requiring background checks on the personal sale of firearms, saying that such mandates could extend into gun deals that take place in the homes of Americans, which would infringe on the gun rights spelled out in the Second Amendment.
The NRA has also said that guns used in crimes, like those used in the killings at Virginia Tech nearly two years ago, are not usually purchased at gun shows.
Lautenberg called on his colleagues to support the bill, which he plans to introduce this week, but said he wasn’t thinking about whether or not it stands a better chance of passing this year.
But gun control advocates with the Brady Campaign heralded President Obama as a strong ally to getting the measure passed and signed into law this year.
“For the last eight years we haven’t had anyone in the White House who supported this,” said Paul Helmke, the group’s president. “The president supports it, Sen. (John) McCain (R-Ariz.) has supported it. It makes sense — we already do background checks for other gun sales; we ought to get this done.”
Attorney General Eric Holder, also faced with an increasing debate on reinstating a ban on assault weapons, has not actively addressed the gun show “loopholes.”
“These are issues that we'll have to discuss,” Holder said on CBS two weeks ago. “The president will be the one who will ultimately set policy: things that are politically salable and things that will ultimately be effective.”
Lautenberg on Tuesday also said that by tightening requirements of personal gun sellers at gun shows, law enforcement officials could more closely track firearms and possibly curb the number of weapons used by drug cartels in Mexico.
“Thirty percent of the guns that go to Mexico are bought at gun shows,” he said. “We don’t know whether they’re bought from unlicensed dealers, but logic would say let’s have some idea who it is that bought those guns and what their intentions might be.”
Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) has repeatedly said at congressional hearings on the increasing violence along the U.S.-Mexico border that he supports imposing the mandatory background checks at gun shows as a way to blunt the border violence.
“I think there are also legislative steps that we can take to strengthen this fight,” he said at a hearing last month. “If Congress, for instance, closed the gun show loophole that allows purchasers to circumvent background checks that occur at … gun stores, our government's work would be a lot easier and more effective.”
But Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told Lieberman that she could not wait for Congress to take action.
“Anecdotally a number (of the guns used in Mexico drug violence) have been purchased at (U.S.) gun shows,” she said. “The issue for me … is that we need to act now and as you know that sort of a statute would take a while to wind its way through. I (have) to play the hand of cards I have, and the hand of cards I have allows me to do southbound seizures.”
“Well, stupid, tell the damn Mexican border guards to do their damn job and not allow those guns into their country...”
Yea, they could start by building a wall (novel idea).
These clowns are so far detached from reality that it's beyond pathetic. I swear, the biggest reason for this huge disconnect Washington has with the people is because of its location. I'm a huge advocate of moving the nation's capital to a more central location, like south-central Illinois or northern Missouri or something. But other than that, they just don't get it.
Close the nutcase loophole - practice more!
Yeah, just like here in CA. No private party sales and all handguns registered.
We could very well ship Congress hither and yon and have them sit in different states from time to time.
This border thing could be resolved by sending them to the Calixico/Mexicali area for 6 months.
Lautenberg, the SENILE...oooops....the SENIOR Senator from New Jersey.
The turnip is out of blood.
Yes, there is a very rational reason called the Constitution.
It is pretty simple unless you are a stupid or lying Congress Critter.
"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."
Is this the bozo responsible for the Lautenberg Amendment?
“NOTE: The 2nd Amendment is SELF-incorporated to all government entities at every level. It is MORE ABSOLUTE than the 1st Amendment, or any of the others, because the wording forbids not only CONGRESS, but ANYONE from infringing on it. The 1st says ‘Congress shall make no law...’. The 2nd say “shall NOT be infringed!” Period! End of debate!”
That’s a moot point nowadays, considering the “incorporation” principle, which I’ve never understood but is de facto law.
Yup
Same tired crap that the public supports abandoning their rights, and the only opposition to new infringements is from the NRA, bankrolled by gun manufacturing fat cats, but the tyrants really stepped in it this time.
If the NRA were really funded by mfgrs instead of owners, they would be all for this, as this heretofore un-tyrannized pocket of liberty is an incentive to buy used guns. If you couldn't get out of an anal probing by your paid servants by buying a used gun, why not buy a new one, so the mfgrs aside from being in a rights-dependent business and so possibly having a pro-rights mindset, would be all over this proposal. QED
“IIRC, access to the FBI NCIS background check system is not available to private citizens. So how do they expect private sellers to conduct background checks?”
Very simple. There will no longer be “private sales”. Every sale will go through an FFL dealer. After he gets his “cut” of say 30 bucks or so of course.
Senator LOUSENBERG as Bob Grant used to refer to him-Straight Ahead!!
OoooHBaby said he wouldn’t take away our guns. So far that’s true. Instead he has had his lackeys in the House and Senate float these tired old pieces of legislation out as distractions for gun owners to focus on instead of the immediate agenda which is of course plunging the country into bankruptcy and communism. Eventually, he will still mount a full attack on our firearms, but his timing will be his own. Meanwhile he can claim he held true to his “promise” and some dem gun owners will bleat and accept that as their own elected representatives seek to sink the 2nd Amendment again.
Newark and Camden are two of the most hellish cities in the USA. And I am not sure, but I think the criminals there have guns!
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