Here’s how Coburn’s plan would work: A gun buyer would log in to a free federal web portal and enter some personal information. If the buyer passes the background check, he or she would get a multi-digit key code, good for 30 days, to print out and take to a seller. That seller would use the same portal to confirm the authenticity of the background check
Nifty tool if they keep the political Mickey Mouse out. You still get to choose if you sell your gun with or without a check (as I am not planning to do a BG Check to somebody I’ve known for a long time) and we need assurances that the record of the check is deleted after a prudent period of time.
Of course, the naysayers are already pouring ashes on themselves:
“It’s unworkable,” said Ladd Everitt of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, “and there would be no incentive for any private seller to do a background check under the legislation.”
Yeah Ladd, like mandatory BG checks for private sales have a lot of incentive. Do you remember what happened in the Senate not too long ago? But you have to understand Ladd, for him we are all just “uncaught” bloodthirsty felons. And there is more:
Another problem for gun control advocates: There would be no lasting record of the sale.
Not really a problem for us anyway. Let’s continue:
“When there’s a crime committed, a police agency can go to a manufacturer and ask, ‘Hey, where did this gun go?'” said Mark Kelly, who founded Americans for Responsible Solutions with his wife, former Rep. Gabby Giffords. The manufacturer can point to a federally licensed dealer, who would have a paper record of the sale, “and then they can help them solve some crimes,” Kelly said.
Yes, we need to see those stats where it says all those great numbers of crimes that were solved the paper trail. One comes to mind: Fast & Furious and the smuggling of weapons to the Mexican cartels…no wait…Oh crap.
Unfortunately and with the Senate composition we have, I don’t think this bill will go far.
If the system were put into place alongside existing background check systems, the gun grabbers would no longer have a non-transparent complaint.
It reduces loads on the system.
It reduces overall operating costs.
It’s something the pro-gun crowd would actually agree to.
It DOES provide a perfectly acceptable paper trail, regardless of what the whiners want to say.
It will reduce both false positives and false negatives, filtering out a lot of noise that’s currently making it hard to track down illegal gun purchases.
It would actually allow for a longer waiting period. Since the number is good for 30 days, I can say “Hey, I want to buy a gun or twelve some time this week. Let me take a background check” late Sunday night, get a response as late as Monday night, and say “Excellent. Time to print out my receipt and go shopping!” You can’t let things cook like that with an instant background system.
Bonus points for it making it more convenient to buy a gun while at the same time helping to keep guns out of the hands of individuals who are actually dangerous.
I can also see potential for making an Android or iOS app for something like this. Punch in your relevant information, the app will automatically submit this data to the background check system every month or so, go to the gun shop, whip out your phone, and give them the number.
I had a voluntary background check run already, two years ago. Expires in 2016. When I buy a gun from an individual I show it to them. Says “Georgia Weapons Carry License” at the top.
But as you point out, the gun control wonks want a record of the sale, and more importantly, they want the guvmint to give you permission. Or deny it when the time is appropriate.
One of the major problems with “universal background checks” is that they’re racist. Remember, Eric Holder’s justice department has determined that requiring photo ID to exercise a Constitutionally protected civil right, is unfairly detrimental to minorities, the elderly and the poor. This is why the States that have attempted to require photo ID before voting are sued by the feds.
BTW: No, I don’t believe it is. But hell, if they can use that BS excuse then so can we.
Given that gun control has historically been used to disarm minorities, the racism value of universal background checks for firearm purchases can be defined as greater than or equal to the racism value of requiring a photo ID for voting.
Now that’s common sense gun legislation I can support.
Of course the gun controllers hate it, but would they rather have DIY checks or nothing at all? We know the answer is nothing, and it will be fun to watch them turn their back on background checks after pleading so hard for 4 months about how many lives it would save. Obviously control is more important than lives.
Always has been. Like I said, in an earlier post, they were THRILLED that twenty children died in the Sandy Hook massacre, because it gave them gallons of blood to dance in and throw around. They were actually upset that the Boston Marathon bombing wasn’t a Boston Marathon shooting, because the bombing increased support for gun ownership instead of gun control.
One thought on the logistics. I have to do Life-Scan or similar background checks to drive kids for school activities and camp counselor functions. Why not piggyback it on this type of PRIVATE (non-governmental) system?
The person who wants it picks the level of clearance they desire (e.g. driver, counselor, job application, gun purchaser, CCW application, CIA operative). Felonies, mental health issues and so on can be cross-referenced from databases, but the government does not need to know what the check is being done for, merely that person X can show that they are clear up to a certain level. The government does not need the Form 4473 with information like race on it and a backdoor registration due to FFL records retention!
Also, it should be used to nullify the silly one gun a month laws out there. If I can buy one, why not two?
I know, it is all about control and so they will never relinquish anything that will keep the government guessing about firearms ownership. However, efforts to catalog us is just plain silly. Guess what Uncle Sam, a ton of Americans are armed to the teeth and we will not comply, we will not submit, and we will shoot back if it ever comes to that. You will not round us up or confiscate our firearms. We will just shoot you and the rainbow-farting unicorn you rode into town on. The Feinstein/Schumer traitors can pass any laws they want and it won’t mean squat. Nullify any of the Bill of Rights and it is game on!
I could live with this as law, especially if any record of the background check is eliminated in 60 days. The only records that should be kept past 60 days are a unique Background Check number issued by the NICS system, the date it was issued, and if it was a PASS or DECLINE. No name, no address, no ZIP or even state info should be kept as a record. And make sure the states also destroy their background check records within 60 days too.
That is a non-negotiable requirement IMHO. Hell, I’d go with the 30 days only.