Some politicians say "Gun show loophole" about as often as they put their hands in your pocket. They claim that people go to gun shows and buy guns without a background check. The presumption is that people are buying firearms that they should not have because of this loophole. Is that really true? Is there a gun show loophole?
Well, not really. Under federal law, all gun sales made through federally licensed dealers must go through a background check, weather that dealer is in his shop or at a gun show. Federal law does not require background checks on private sales. However, many states do.
So.........The gun show loophole is really a private sale loophole. And that loophole exists only in states without a background check requirement on private sales.
So.........The idea is that non-dealer people get together at gun shows and sell guns to each other and that those sales don't get background checked. That is true in states that don't require private sale checks.
It is also true that those same people can get together and sell guns to each other at their houses, in parking lots, or out in the woods somewhere if they want to.
So...........Really, gun shows have nothing to do with it.
Now, ask me if I have any objection to doing a simple, instant, background check on a private sale and I will tell you no.
So...........Let's pass a federal law requiring an instant background check on most, if not all, private sales. Will it save lives? Probably not. Will it shut gun control advocates up? Probably not. But, why not do it anyway? At least you can look people in the face and say, "There, now you have no gun show loophole to bitch about."
https://www.atf.gov/questions-and-answers/firearms-qas
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_show_loophole
No comments:
Post a Comment