Dianne Feinstein: On gun control, finish the work we started

[petronius]

Twenty years ago Saturday, the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act became the law of the land. This groundbreaking gun-safety law requires background checks on all gun sales by licensed dealers.

Background checks on gun purchases work. The law has stopped more than 2 million convicted felons, domestic abusers and individuals with serious mental illnesses from purchasing firearms.

But the Brady Act has a big loophole: It does not require background checks on the estimated 40 percent of gun transfers made between private parties. This means anyone can purchase a firearm at a gun show or over the Internet without undergoing any sort of background check. Last year, an estimated 6.6 million firearms were transferred this way.

Critics have argued that expanding background checks to close this loophole is pointless because no criminal would consent to a background check. California law -- which requires background checks on all gun sales except those between family members -- proves otherwise.

--- Snip ---

http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_24605596/dianne-feinstein-gun-control-finish-work-we-started

Nothing particularly new here, but I am surprised that Sen. Feinstein wrote an entire op-ed without once mentioning a new AWB...

[Lizzie Poppet]

1. Of course, she still got part of that completely wrong.

"...anyone can purchase a firearm at a gun show or over the Internet without undergoing any sort of background check."

Um...no. The only "Internet purchase" that can be made w/o a background check would be two people in the same state hooking up via Craigslist or one of the gun-specific sites like Gun Broker and conducting the transaction in person. The vast majority of online sales require an FFL holder at both ends, and the recipient has to undergo the usual Federally-mandated background check. "Anyone" can't do what she claims.

Universal background checks are a damned good idea. Why do politicians like Feinstein have to undermine the effort to enact them with nonsense like that?

[Abq_Sarah]

9. She's deliberately being disingenous

It is true that anyone can purchase a firearm on the internet without a background check. What she leaves out is that internet purchases are shipped to a FFL and the firearm can't be transferred to the purchaser without a background check. It's entirely possible for someone to "own" a firearm and then find themselves unable to legally take possession of said firearm.

[ManiacJoe]

2. While it is true that some private sellers do not want to do background checks,

it would be helpful if private sellers were not prohibited by federal law from using NICS to do background checks.

[Eleanors38]

3. Yeah, that had always bugged me, and I've read no clear explanation as to why.

[Jenoch]

4. I would like to know

where that 40% figure comes from. I would also like to see some avtual evidence to back it up.

[Ranchemp.]

5. Didn't you get the memo?

The evidence is that there is no evidence.

[Lizzie Poppet]

6. If you want to know the source of that figure...

...I suggest you glove up first.

[DonP]

7. IIRC, it came from a pre NICS check survey

Conducted before the NICS system was in place 20+ years ago and before any background check was required at the Federal level, only some at state level. Therefore, every sale in a state that didn't require a background check counted toward that irrelevant 40% number.

And I've been assured that "90%" of Americans agree with me.

My new favorite story though is how gun grabbers in NC are secretly slapping "No Guns Allowed" signs on businesses without the owners permission. Some are getting caught by the security cameras. This could be fun.