Posted on 04/19/2011 3:22:36 PM PDT by neverdem
The new head of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) is pushing for screenings of all gun purchases.
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz said the current law, which allows private firearm sales without background checks, is "outrageous." The Florida Democrat is sponsoring a soon-to-be-released proposal extending the screening requirements to all gun purchases, commercial or private.
"It is outrageous that gun buyers evade the background-check system every day, even in broad daylight," Wasserman Schultz said Monday at a gun-reform rally in Miami sponsored by Mayors Against Illegal Guns.
"While we likely cannot end all gun violence, we certainly can do much, much better," she added. "We have laws on the books designed to keep guns out of the hands of those that should not have them. We just need to close the loopholes and improve the information available to law enforcement."
The issue of gun reform rose in prominence in January after a shooting rampage in Tucson, Ariz., left six people dead and 13 others injured, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), a close friend to Wasserman Schultz.
The suspect arrested in the shootings, Jared Lee Loughner, had been expelled from community college for disturbing behavior and denied entrance to the military for a history of drug abuse. Yet he was able to buy a firearm and high-capacity ammunition magazines from local, licensed gun dealers.
The tragedy inspired a series of gun-reform bills on Capitol Hill, and prompted President Obama to urge tougher screening rules.
"We should provide an instant, accurate, comprehensive and consistent system for background checks to sellers who want to do the right thing, and make sure that criminals can't escape it," the president wrote in a March op-ed in the Arizona Daily Star.
The comments broke a long silence from Obama on the gun-reform issue, which is often a third rail in Washington, where the gun lobby holds enormous sway.
That a lawmaker as prominent as Wasserman Schultz has come out so adamantly for reform is "indication that elected officials are catching up with the public," said Mark Glaze, director of the coalition of Mayors Against Illegal Guns. The reference was to recent polls indicating that voters even gun owners overwhelmingly support a system of across-the-board background checks.
"Her participation shows that there's a growing understanding that gun policy is about fighting crime, not taking away gun rights," Glaze said.
Wasserman Schultz will take the reins of the DNC later this month. Tim Kaine, the former governor of Virginia, stepped down to campaign for the Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.). Donna Brazile is serving as the interim chairwoman of the committee.
Under current law, licensed gun dealers are required to conduct background checks to ensure that prospective buyers are legally eligible to own firearms. Felons, illegal immigrants and the severely mentally ill, for instance, are barred from owning guns. Licensed dealers must perform these screenings in all venues including gun shows but unlicensed dealers are under no obligation to follow them anywhere. Critics of the policy discrepancy call it the "gun-show loophole."
The coming House legislation will require all gun sellers to perform background checks on potential buyers a change forcing private sellers to finalize their sales at licensed dealers or law enforcement offices, which have access to the federal database used to weed out illegal buyers.
Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) introduced similar legislation in the upper chamber earlier in the year.
"We cannot bring back those we have lost," Wasserman Schultz said Monday, "but we can honor them by doing everything we can to keep guns out of the hands of those who shouldnt have them."
Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.) is expected to introduce the House bill when Congress returns from spring recess.
Which then suggests that, if they plan any "gains" in power, that it won't come through the electoral process, but in spite of it.
What's Obama planning on, tanks in the street? A Reichstag fire?
In Switzerland, a visitor from National Geographic once observed decades ago, one gets used to seeing the very latest military weapon above the mantel, and above that, Dad's piece issued 30 years ago, and above that, Grandfather's old World War I Schmidt-Rubin turnbolt.
Gun restrictions and registration is crucial to the eventual plan to ban all firearm ownership....except for favored Democratic Party members and the Government’s Peoples’ Police.
Necessary to have a disarmed, cowed populace for, as fascist Nancy Pelosi said, to rule the citizenry.
Socialists.
... recent polls indicating that voters even gun owners overwhelmingly support a system of across-the-board background checks.
That seems like it'd be an awful lot of work for just one person -- but on the plus side, at least she'd be so busy she wouldn't be able to sause trouble any where else...
Plus, there already ARE ‘across the board background checks’. Every dealer must perform the check on every buyer for each and every gun purchased. You can’t get much more ‘across the bopard’ than that.
Plus, there already ARE ‘across the board background checks’. Every dealer must perform the check on every buyer for each and every gun purchased. You can’t get much more ‘across the board’ than that.
Plus, there already ARE ‘across the board background checks’. Every dealer must perform the check on every buyer for each and every gun purchased. You can’t get much more ‘across the board’ than that.
Molon labe
Remember this - we have them. THEY have to come take them.
This ain’t Europe.
They want to open that door, well, then, Welcome to Hell.
1) Cars kill ALOT more people than guns do.
2) Gun ownership are explicitly protected as a RIGHT.
3) Owning and driving a car is a state privilege and should rightly be regulated by each state, according to their terrain, weather, road conditions, and demographics.
Let us see how the following would be construed by the American citizen if she insisted on car-control
Rep. Doobie Washherman Slutz (D-Moronville) said the current law, which allows private property sales of automobiles without background checks, is "outrageous." The Floriduh Demoncrat is sponsoring a soon-to-be-released proposal extending the screening requirements to all car purchases, commercial or private.
"It is outrageous that car buyers evade the background-check system every day, even in broad daylight," Wasserman Schultz said Monday at a car-reform rally in Miami sponsored by Mayors Opposed to Racing or Non-Electrical Street vehicles (MORONS).
"While we likely cannot end all hazards of the road, we certainly can do much, much better," she added. "We have laws on the books designed to keep cars out of the hands of those that should not have them such as known drunks, speeders, reckless teenagers, "road ragers", and the insane. We just need to close the loopholes and improve the information available to law enforcement."
The issue of automobile-safety reform rose in prominence in November after a large crash outside of Sierra Vista, AZ, which left 47 people dead and 1 wounded when a drunk driver crossed the center line and hit a van completely filled with illegal immigrants, killing all of them.
The suspect arrested in the car massacre, Jared "Speedy" Gonzolez, had been expelled from community college for reckless driving on campus, disturbing behavior such as revving his engines at girls, and drag racing was eventually and denied entrance to the military for a history criminal traffic charges of racing, fleeing police, reckless driving, and DUI, all of which were felonies. Yet he was able to buy an "assault car", (also known as a sports-car) and high-capacity engine (V-12) from a local, licensed car dealer.
The Sierra Vista tragedy inspired a series of car-reform bills on Capitol Hill, and prompted President Teleprompter to urge tougher screening rules for people wanting to purchase a dangerous items such as an automobile.
"We should provide an instant, accurate, comprehensive and consistent system for background checks to sellers who want to do the right thing, and make sure that criminals and reckless drivers can't escape it," the Kenyan Prentender wrote in a March op-ed in the Arizona Red Star.
The comments broke a long silence from the Pretender on the car-reform issue, which is often called "the fourth wheel) in Washington, where the automobile industry and their lobbyists holds enormous sway.
That a lawmaker as prominent as Washerman Slutz has come out so adamantly for reform is "indication that elected officials are catching up with the public," said Mark Glazedover, director of the coalition of Mayors Opposed to Racing or Non-Electrical Street vehicles (MORONS). The reference was to recent polls indicating that voters even car owners overwhelmingly support a system of across-the-board background checks.
"Her participation shows that there's a growing understanding that automobile policy is about fighting traffic crime, not taking away driving rights," Glazedover said.
Under current law, licensed car dealers are required to check and see if drivers have a valid driver's license and automobile insurance to ensure that prospective buyers are legally eligible to own and drive automobiles.
Drunks, illegal immigrants and the severely mentally ill, for instance, are usually never sold a vehicle from a dealer. Licensed dealers must perform these screenings in all venues including "Car Wars", and auto shows, but unlicensed dealers are under no obligation to follow those rules anywhere. Proponents of private sales say that it is their right to buy or sell automobiles that are private property. Critics of the policy discrepancy call it the "car-show loophole."
The coming House legislation will require all car sellers to perform background checks on potential buyers a change forcing private sellers to finalize their, private property sales at licensed dealers or law enforcement offices, which have access to the federal database used to weed out illegal buyers.
Sen. Charles Excrement (D-N.Y.) introduced similar legislation in the upper chamber earlier in the year.
"We cannot bring back those we have lost," Washerman Slutz said Monday, "but we can honor them by doing everything we can to keep cars out of the hands of those who shouldnt have them."
Rep. Carollyn McCrazy (D-N.Y.) is expected to introduce the House bill when Congress returns from spring recess banning all vehicles having more than six (6) cylinders.
AMEN!
AND THAT PERSON IS HENRY BOWMAN. Where he has been lately, I don't know, but there are SEVERAL of them in each state, and I suggest someone wake them up and commence "feeding the hogs".
To me that is an infringement...afterall, 17 year olds shoot AT4s and Mk19s all day long in Afghanistan and Iraq.
LOL for the overall effort, but the numbers are comparable these days. I remember motor vehicle fatalities being over 40,000 per year.
Traffic fatalities lowest in 60 years
CHARLOTTE - According to national estimates, the roads are safer these days.If you tally up all kinds of homicides, suicide and accidental deaths by firearms, it's in the low 30Ks.The number of traffic deaths in the United States are lower than they have been since 1949. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration just released early 2010 estimates. They show a 3 percent drop in motor vehicle fatalities compared to the year before.
The report shows that nearly 33,000 people died in 2010. It is the lowest number since 1949.
If you're writing about U.S. service personnel, there's a law that they have to be at least 18 years old, and they must have had at least 90 days training, before they get deployed to an overseas combat zone, or they have to get a waiver from Congress. They can still join and train while they are 17 years old. I'm not counting those who lie and are under age.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.