1. Close loopholes in background checks for gun sales
The proposal: Close loopholes that allow felons, perpetrators of domestic abuse, or people with a history of dangerous mental illness to purchase weapons.
Currently, federal law includes several loopholes which gun dealers can use to make legal sales without carrying out the due diligence of a background check on the person buying a gun.
If a background check takes longer than 72 hours, for instance, a gun dealer can sell the weapon without the completed check; confusion with FBI paperwork earlier this year, for example, resulted in a delay that allowed Dylann Roof, the man who shot nine people dead in South Carolina in July, to buy a handgun that would have otherwise been denied to him.
I don't understand this. I purchased a rifle at a gun show. The background check was made, took 10 minutes, and the gun was sold. Where are these 72 hour background checks? I
agree that a gun dealer should not be able to sell a weapon if the check takes longer than 72 hours. I don't see where this is ever a problem as none of the checks on me has ever taken longer than the time it takes to have a cup of coffee.
Additionally, NO vendor I have ever purchased from - at a gun show or store - has ever tried to sell to me without a background check. Ever.
2. End the ban on federal funding for research into gun violence
The proposal: Let government agencies such as the CDC research gun violence by repealing the 1996 budget amendment that says: “None of the funds made available in this title may be used, in whole or in part, to advocate or promote gun control.”
The problem: For almost 20 years, under the control of both Democrats and Republicans, Congress has repeatedly renewed this ban – most recently in July.
If the government could be trusted to provide reliable, effective and non-politically motivated policy based on research, I'd be all for this. History shows otherwise, though.
3. Make gun trafficking a federal crime
The proposal: Make interstate gun trafficking a federal crime, and increase penalties for so-called “straw-man” sales in which someone buys a gun to deliver to a third party. The proposal had a boost this summer from the supreme court, which ruled 5-4 to uphold the federal ban on straw-man purchases even when the intended recipient would legally have been able to purchase a gun him or herself.
It's already illegal to purchase a firearm for another individual. More laws is supposed to solve this?
4. Expand the ban on sales to domestic violence offenders
The proposal: Expand the ban on the sale of firearms to those convicted of domestic violence, including abuse and stalking. Although studies disagree about the scope of the problem, nearly all concur that the mere presence of a gun in a household increases the risk of homicide; one Johns Hopkins study found that the risk increases eight-fold when the offender is a victim’s partner or relative, and 20-fold in cases where there is a history of domestic violence.
The application to purchase a firearm
already asks whether you have been convicted of domestic violence, and
refuses to grant you a firearm if you have. Federal laws have some loopholes, but states have aggressively moved to plug those loopholes with existing laws of their own.
5. Public places, campuses and corporations
The proposal: Convince institutions to introduce firearm bans in the public places that they own, such as college campuses, stores and restaurants.
Absolute and total stupidity. Those who are willing to commit murders don't give a shit about these bans. Schools
already have bans and we've seen how effective that is.
6. Restore the ban on assault weapons
The proposal: Revive the 1994 ban on assault weapons, which expired in 2004.
More abject stupidity. Unless you decide how you're going to get the illegal weapons off the street, this ban is stupid (and was ineffective back then).
7. Regulate ammunition and magazines
The proposal: Ban certain types of ammunition, such as hollow-point bullets, which tend to be more lethal, and limit the number of rounds allowed per magazine – as the 1994 ban limited magazines to a maximum of 10 bullets, for instance.
Shows complete ignorance. Hollow points are more lethal because they fold out, but they also serve to stop additional causalities from preventing the bullet's penetration into someone else. Limiting magazines will do absolutely zilch as there are
hundreds of millions of magazines in circulation over 10 round capacity. Additionally, I can take two 10 round magazines, tape them to each other (old AK style) and reload in two seconds for 20 rounds.
8. Waiting periods, training and registration
The proposal: Require waiting periods for gun purchases so that background checks can be finished and to encourage buyers to “cool off” from any violent impulses that might be motivating them to buy a weapon, require training for those wanting to be issued a gun license, and introduce a registry of weapons.
Background checks are quick. Only the media is saying otherwise. As for an initial buy period, when you buy your first gun, it's a much longer process - usually 3 days to a week. Only after you've purchased as additional purchases faster.
