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Has the Brady Law Worked?
Real Clear Policy ^ | February 28, 2014 | Robert VerBruggen

Posted on 03/01/2014 8:11:14 PM PST by neverdem

The Brady Campaign has a report today commemorating 20 years of background checks for guns bought at licensed dealers. It says that the law stopped 2.1 million firearm purchases. "Countless lives have been saved, and crimes have been prevented thanks to the Brady law," it claims.

If the law has indeed saved any lives, this is the wrong way to go about proving it. As I wrote previously:

Actually blocking sales is not the point of background checks. In order for a sale to be blocked, a prohibited buyer needs to willingly fill out the paperwork for a gun purchase and have it run through the system. Doing this is incredibly stupid, so it almost never happens. When it does happen, it's usually because the person didn't realize he was prohibited. (For example, his crime was a long time ago, or he was dishonorably discharged from the military.) Prosecutions rarely result.

That's the problem with touting blocked purchases, even if 2.1 million over 20 years sounds impressive: About 94 percent of failed checks are "not referred to field, overturned, or canceled" when law enforcement looks into them, and some more cases fall apart after that, too. These folks aren't necessarily allowed to buy guns, but they also aren't seen as threatening enough to prosecute, and they're left free to pursue guns elsewhere if that's what they want.

As I've also said in this space, it matters greatly what a criminal's second-best option is. If guns are easily available without going through a licensed dealer and passing a background check -- by, for example, buying from a private seller -- illegal sales are rerouted rather than squelched...

(Excerpt) Read more at realclearpolicy.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Editorial; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: banglist; bradylaw

1 posted on 03/01/2014 8:11:14 PM PST by neverdem
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To: neverdem

Apparently, it works well in China, they have to stab people to death there.


2 posted on 03/01/2014 8:12:35 PM PST by gusopol3
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To: neverdem

If Brady wasn’t a moron he would have pushed for a law making it easier to lock up WACKJOBS like Hinckley (and almost ALL these mass shooters we’ve had in recent years) BEFORE they shoot people, instead of going after gun rights.


3 posted on 03/01/2014 8:18:37 PM PST by Impy (RED=COMMUNIST, NOT REPUBLICAN)
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To: Impy

The purpose of universal background checks is to move closer to a registration system. Neither background checks or registration systems have been shown to reduce crime rates or homicide rates. Guns are 14th century technology, and 3-D printing is making guns it easy for people who do not even know how to operate a hand drill or a set of files to create guns.

Background checks and registration systems have significant costs, and those costs do not result in any significant benefits to society, even if you ignore the costs to society of showing contempt for the rule of law by ignoring the plain words of the second amendment.


4 posted on 03/01/2014 8:29:32 PM PST by marktwain (The old media must die for the Republic to live. Long live the new media!)
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To: neverdem

I wonder how many of the so-called 2.1 million had the same or similar name as a “prohibited” person and were therefore denied their constitutional right to purchase a firearm?


5 posted on 03/01/2014 8:31:58 PM PST by july4thfreedomfoundation (I don't want to feel "safe." I want to feel FREE!)
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To: neverdem

Gun grabbing law has never stopped any criminals.


6 posted on 03/01/2014 8:40:47 PM PST by VRWC For Truth (Roberts has perverted the Constitution)
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To: VRWC For Truth

We can talk all we want about the logical reasons a background check couldn’t be expected to prevent crimes but the bottom line is it hasn’t. We’ve been doing this for 20 years and there was never been an instance where instituting background checks reduced crime rates.


7 posted on 03/01/2014 9:14:23 PM PST by thorvaldr
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To: thorvaldr; VRWC For Truth
We’ve been doing this for 20 years and there was never been an instance where instituting background checks reduced crime rates.

And why should it? The only people prepared to submit to background checks are law-abiding people.

Criminals, by their nature, will find another way to acquire weapons.

8 posted on 03/01/2014 9:17:13 PM PST by okie01 (The Mainstream Media -- IGNORANCE ON PARADE)
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To: neverdem

They can put out a number of 2.1 million, but “countless” otherwise. Hogwash! The Brady Law hasn’t prevented one single person doing harm to another if that was their desire.


9 posted on 03/01/2014 9:18:28 PM PST by Birdsbane ("Onward through the fog!" ... Oat Willie)
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To: neverdem
Oh really?

______________________________________________________________

Obama Gun Control Scheming Sparked Record Firearm Sales

Thursday, 09 January 2014

Across America, guns are still flying off the shelves, with sales numbers continually smashing previous records set over the last decade as Americans load up on firearms of all varieties in never-before-seen quantities. From Colorado and Connecticut to Ohio, Virginia, and Alabama — and everywhere in between — gun sales are exploding.

Indeed, government data show 2013 was the best year for domestic sales in U.S. history after beating the previous high set the year before. Restrictions on gun rights, meanwhile, are overwhelmingly getting less draconian at the state level.

http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/constitution/item/17361-obama-gun-control-scheming-sparked-record-firearm-sales

10 posted on 03/01/2014 10:22:11 PM PST by Ken H (What happens on the internet, stays on the internet.)
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To: neverdem
This is the most ignorant post I've ever seen. First off, Brady was trying to protect an a$$hole. Second,,,, how do prevent a shooting when you can't see the shooter? DUH!!!! Brady put himself in the line of fire,,,, suicidal at the least I might add. The Brady Bill was as efficient as a fart in a wind storm. He enacted that bill because he wanted people to feel sorry for him,,,, PERIOD. When a government official screws up he/she somehow, eventually pays the price.

The Brady Bill has actually caused more deaths than ever. With 20,000 gun laws already in the books,,,, and nothing has changed,,,, I've got to ask ya'll what will work?

We've got many libs on FR, give me an answer,,,, IF YOU CAN

11 posted on 03/01/2014 11:28:57 PM PST by progunner (no compromise)
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To: neverdem

Depends on who you ask. I’m sure there were plenty of Nazis who thought the Enabling Act and Nuremberg Laws made Nazi Germany the safest country on earth.


12 posted on 03/02/2014 2:47:25 AM PST by RWB Patriot ("My ability is a value that must be earned and I don't recognize anyone's need as a claim on me.")
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To: neverdem

“Countless lives have been saved, and crimes have been prevented thanks to the Brady law,” it claims.


Well, they give a very specific count of how many gun sales were prevented but a big guess on how many lives were saved.

Just how many lives were saved? There is no way in hell that they can even calculate that!

That’s like saying that everyone should wear zinc collars so that the bat people won’t get them. Then count the number of collars sold and then take an inventory a year later to see how many of those collars are still around. Then you come up with how many people have been carried off by the bat people. Problem is, there are not any bat people and finding all of the people who bought them would be next to impossible.

These studies are nothing more than a “make work” job for college graduates who have degrees that accomplish nothing.


13 posted on 03/02/2014 4:13:54 AM PST by DH (Once the tainted finger of government touches anything the rot begins)
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To: neverdem

Why did you post this article? The writer is an idiot - background checks haven’t prevented psychos from killing people. The only reason for the Brady law is control: first, to control handgun sales, then control long gun sales and now they’re pitching to control everything. The Brady law doesn’t permit citizens to see or review their own records. Worse, our lawmakers have used this law to progressively tighten the restrictions to include domestic violence and some misdemeanors.

Once they have universal background checks, all they have to do is include speeding violations and they’ve disarmed us.

We need to fully repeal the Brady law once and for all.


14 posted on 03/02/2014 4:34:02 AM PST by Chainmail (A simple rule of life: if you can be blamed, you're responsible.)
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Never give up your guns!



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15 posted on 03/02/2014 10:27:59 AM PST by RedMDer (May we always be happy and may our enemies always know it. - Sarah Palin, 10-18-2010)
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