JoeyB
12-14-2011, 09:04 PM
Some of you may know my stance on firearms. There is a movement afoot in America, organized by over 600 mayors of our cities, to fix the little loopholes in our current laws that let people buy guns without any background check.
Why is this dangerous? Because anyone, regardless of criminal background, mental instability, or even those with criminal or terroristic intentions can simply buy a gun, no questions asked, as long as they know who to approach. Only licensed guns sellers have to do a background check, those who sell infrequently, such as hobbyists, can do so without making a check. It's that simple.
This is the very loophole that terrorist networks have explicitly outlined as the way for their people to stockpile weapons. Think about that: terrorists are actually instructing people, here in America, to exploit our lax gun laws in order for them to buy the weapons they will use to kill us.
Extremist gun rights groups in America do not want this shut down. They are fighting to prevent the closing of this loophole, and are also lobbying to prevent a better background checks system.
However, the good news is that the group 'Mayors Against Illegal Guns' is working hard to see to it that all gun sales are regulated, and that background checks are more thorough and accurate. It is a simple, reasonable process...one that helps to prevent sales of guns to people who should not have them, and that helps to make sure the background check system that is already in place is updated to include mentally unstable people.
If this interests you, please read more, this is straight from their website:
Over the past 50 years, our nation has suffered through a series of gun assassinations and mass shootings. But even more shocking is the building toll of everyday Americans who are gunned down in big cities and small towns. It’s time for common sense reforms to Fix Gun Checks and stem the tide of gun murders that leaves 34 Americans dead every day.
The Solution
--
Common Sense Steps for a Safer America
Our leaders must make it a national priority to fix gun background checks. This will take two critical steps:
Get all of the names of people who should be prohibited from buying guns into the background check system.
Require a background check for every gun sale in America.
Step One: Get all of the names of people who should be prohibited from buying guns into the background check system.
The Virginia Tech shooter was able to pass a background check and purchase a gun despite a long history of mental illness, including a court ruling that he was mentally ill and an "imminent danger." His record was never entered into the background check database.
Since Virginia Tech, Congress passed a law to improve reporting of mental health records. But today, 10 states have not contributed a single mental health record and 18 states have contributed records on fewer than 100 people.
According to media reports, the Tucson shooter had a drug arrest on his record and may have admitted to the U.S. Army that he was a habitual drug user – red flags that should have barred him from buying a gun. Nevertheless, he went on to pass background checks and buy the Glock 19 he used to kill 6 people and injure 13 others.
To ensure that every prohibited person is added to the national background check system, our leaders in Congress should:
Guarantee full funding for states to update their information-sharing efforts
Crack down on federal agencies that fail to submit records
Penalize states that fail to add records by cutting their federal funding
Clarify the rules for adding drug abusers and the mentally ill to the database
Step Two: Congress must close all the loopholes and require a background check on all gun sales in America.
Even if a dangerous individual failed a background check, they can walk into any gun show and buy a trunk load of guns with no background check, no questions asked. That’s because only licensed gun dealers are required to conduct background checks. Occasional sellers, who often sell guns at gun shows, don’t have to do background checks.
30% of illegally trafficked guns are connected to gun shows.
This loophole has been exploited by terrorists, drug cartels, and murderers, including the shooters at Columbine High School, whose guns were purchased from an unlicensed seller at a gun show.
Every handgun sale should come with a background check:
People who want to sell their guns can take them to a licensed dealer who will conduct the background check.
There should be reasonable exemptions for transfers to immediate family members, law enforcement, inheritance, and holders of gun permits that meet certain requirements.
-- Public Support for the Plan to Fix Gun Checks
Americans overwhelmingly believe that criminals, drug abusers, and the mentally ill should not have access to guns: 9 out of 10 Americans and 9 out of 10 gun owners support fixing gaps in the background check databases that are meant to stop dangerous people from getting their hands on guns.
Americans overwhelmingly believe that more needs to be done to ensure records in the background check system are complete: 89% of Americans and 89% of gun owners support full funding of the post-Virginia Tech law designed to put more records in the background check database.
Americans overwhelmingly believe it’s time to close the loopholes that let people buy guns with no background check: 86% of Americans and 81% of gun owners support requiring all gun buyers to pass a background check, no matter where they buy the gun and no matter who they buy it from.
What can you do? Right now they are focusing on online gun sales. Read this:
Do you have any idea just how easy it is to buy an illegal gun online with no questions asked?
A new national undercover investigation by the City of New York has uncovered a vast, unregulated online market for illegal firearms. In a sting operation of 125 sellers, 62% were willing to sell a gun to a stranger who admitted he couldn’t pass a criminal background check.
Those profiting from online gun sales have a responsibility to prevent this easy flow of firearms to minors, criminals and others who shouldn’t have them. Please join more than 600 U.S. Mayors in calling on key gun-sale websites to act.
So, you can sign the new petition aimed at online gun sales. It's common sense and after reading all of the above I'm hoping you will see that only an extremist would find this approach unreasonable. I'm afraid that only those of you living in America will be able to sign, however.
http://www.fixgunchecks.org/illegalgunsonline
Why is this dangerous? Because anyone, regardless of criminal background, mental instability, or even those with criminal or terroristic intentions can simply buy a gun, no questions asked, as long as they know who to approach. Only licensed guns sellers have to do a background check, those who sell infrequently, such as hobbyists, can do so without making a check. It's that simple.
This is the very loophole that terrorist networks have explicitly outlined as the way for their people to stockpile weapons. Think about that: terrorists are actually instructing people, here in America, to exploit our lax gun laws in order for them to buy the weapons they will use to kill us.
Extremist gun rights groups in America do not want this shut down. They are fighting to prevent the closing of this loophole, and are also lobbying to prevent a better background checks system.
However, the good news is that the group 'Mayors Against Illegal Guns' is working hard to see to it that all gun sales are regulated, and that background checks are more thorough and accurate. It is a simple, reasonable process...one that helps to prevent sales of guns to people who should not have them, and that helps to make sure the background check system that is already in place is updated to include mentally unstable people.
If this interests you, please read more, this is straight from their website:
Over the past 50 years, our nation has suffered through a series of gun assassinations and mass shootings. But even more shocking is the building toll of everyday Americans who are gunned down in big cities and small towns. It’s time for common sense reforms to Fix Gun Checks and stem the tide of gun murders that leaves 34 Americans dead every day.
The Solution
--
Common Sense Steps for a Safer America
Our leaders must make it a national priority to fix gun background checks. This will take two critical steps:
Get all of the names of people who should be prohibited from buying guns into the background check system.
Require a background check for every gun sale in America.
Step One: Get all of the names of people who should be prohibited from buying guns into the background check system.
The Virginia Tech shooter was able to pass a background check and purchase a gun despite a long history of mental illness, including a court ruling that he was mentally ill and an "imminent danger." His record was never entered into the background check database.
Since Virginia Tech, Congress passed a law to improve reporting of mental health records. But today, 10 states have not contributed a single mental health record and 18 states have contributed records on fewer than 100 people.
According to media reports, the Tucson shooter had a drug arrest on his record and may have admitted to the U.S. Army that he was a habitual drug user – red flags that should have barred him from buying a gun. Nevertheless, he went on to pass background checks and buy the Glock 19 he used to kill 6 people and injure 13 others.
To ensure that every prohibited person is added to the national background check system, our leaders in Congress should:
Guarantee full funding for states to update their information-sharing efforts
Crack down on federal agencies that fail to submit records
Penalize states that fail to add records by cutting their federal funding
Clarify the rules for adding drug abusers and the mentally ill to the database
Step Two: Congress must close all the loopholes and require a background check on all gun sales in America.
Even if a dangerous individual failed a background check, they can walk into any gun show and buy a trunk load of guns with no background check, no questions asked. That’s because only licensed gun dealers are required to conduct background checks. Occasional sellers, who often sell guns at gun shows, don’t have to do background checks.
30% of illegally trafficked guns are connected to gun shows.
This loophole has been exploited by terrorists, drug cartels, and murderers, including the shooters at Columbine High School, whose guns were purchased from an unlicensed seller at a gun show.
Every handgun sale should come with a background check:
People who want to sell their guns can take them to a licensed dealer who will conduct the background check.
There should be reasonable exemptions for transfers to immediate family members, law enforcement, inheritance, and holders of gun permits that meet certain requirements.
-- Public Support for the Plan to Fix Gun Checks
Americans overwhelmingly believe that criminals, drug abusers, and the mentally ill should not have access to guns: 9 out of 10 Americans and 9 out of 10 gun owners support fixing gaps in the background check databases that are meant to stop dangerous people from getting their hands on guns.
Americans overwhelmingly believe that more needs to be done to ensure records in the background check system are complete: 89% of Americans and 89% of gun owners support full funding of the post-Virginia Tech law designed to put more records in the background check database.
Americans overwhelmingly believe it’s time to close the loopholes that let people buy guns with no background check: 86% of Americans and 81% of gun owners support requiring all gun buyers to pass a background check, no matter where they buy the gun and no matter who they buy it from.
What can you do? Right now they are focusing on online gun sales. Read this:
Do you have any idea just how easy it is to buy an illegal gun online with no questions asked?
A new national undercover investigation by the City of New York has uncovered a vast, unregulated online market for illegal firearms. In a sting operation of 125 sellers, 62% were willing to sell a gun to a stranger who admitted he couldn’t pass a criminal background check.
Those profiting from online gun sales have a responsibility to prevent this easy flow of firearms to minors, criminals and others who shouldn’t have them. Please join more than 600 U.S. Mayors in calling on key gun-sale websites to act.
So, you can sign the new petition aimed at online gun sales. It's common sense and after reading all of the above I'm hoping you will see that only an extremist would find this approach unreasonable. I'm afraid that only those of you living in America will be able to sign, however.
http://www.fixgunchecks.org/illegalgunsonline