Supreme Court's 'straw' buyers decision a victory for the public

Milwaukee J-S ^ | 17 june 2014

[rellimpank]

In a rare victory for common sense in the gun debate, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that the federal ban on "straw" purchases can be enforced even if the person who eventually gets the gun is legally allowed to have one. The 5-4 decision was written by Justice Elena Kagan. Justice Anthony Kennedy, a frequent swing vote, voted with the majority.

Kagan found that any other reading of the statute, which prevents someone from buying a gun for someone else, would gut the federal law. The case involved a Virginia man who bought a Glockhandgun for his uncle who lived in Pennsylvania. Bruce James Abramski Jr. assured the Virginia dealer that he was the actual buyer of the gun and then lied on a federal form. His uncle was legally allowed to buy a gun, but Abramski, a former police officer, thought he could get his uncle a better deal using his police discount.

Abramski argued that his false statement on the form was immaterial and that as long as the ultimate buyer was legally allowed to have a weapon, he had done no wrong. Kagan wrote that the government's system of background checks and record keeping wouldn't mean much if a buyer could get around them by having someone else make the purchase.

[sport]

I would say by 2016 and certainly no later than 2018.

By that time, the Obama worshiping generation will be 8-10 years older and more of the older generation, the ones who knew a little about the concept of freedom and self reliance will have mostly died out.

[NTHockey]

I’m to the point where I could care less what they do in Versailles on the Potomac, whatever branch of the regime is involved. Ever since Elmer Fudd decided that he can obey or disobey whatever law he wishes, I do the same.

[Travis McGee]

Does freedom die with a whimper and not with a bang?

[sport]

I always thought and hoped it would die, if it had to die, with a bang. But the older I get and more I see, I now believe it will die with a whimper. If they do not mess with us older folks until we die out. Without the Government telling them how, the Obama generation, cannot wipe their hind ends.

[Georgia Girl 2]

Yep. That’s the way I feel too.

[backwoods-engineer]

PS: American Thinker etc usually only print columns original to their websites. Perhaps you could rewrite (make an instant original) your Abramski piece and submit it around. It’s very cogent and beyond most folks orbit of understanding at this point in time. We need to be ahead of the curve, not behind it, and your piece would at least let us catch up a bit, conceptually.

Thanks, Matt, that means a lot coming from you. It could bear come cleaning up, anyway.