Would you use a free background check service?

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As a long-time gun owner, I am adamantly opposed to the "Universal Background Check" being proposed by various anti-gun, pro-government restriction groups and politicians. However, I have sold some of my guns and some for a friend who had passed away at local gun shows. I did check to see that each buyer was a State resident and of the proper age. I also personally asked each buyer if there was any reason why they wouldn't be allowed to own a gun. Of course, I was there to sell these guns and not hassle potential buyers. If there was a free (not mandatory) National background check number that anyone, not just a registered Federal Firearms dealer to call just to be sure I would have happily complied. If there was such a service, would you use it? I recognise that this may be going down the slippery slope towards making it more difficult for people to buy guns, but I do background checks on folks wanting to rent property from me.
 
A couple of years ago, Virginia laws on firearms were updated to include a requirement that the State Police provide a free voluntary background check service at all gun shows in the state.Of course, all dealers at the shows would continue to use their NICS access as FFLs for their sales. These State Police services were for individuals completing face to face (F2F) personal sales at the shows. The last time I saw statistics on usage of the services, the reports are fewer than ten checks per show over the course of each 2- or 3-day show. Apparently, most F2F sellers would not avail themselves of the service.

That said, I applaud your approach to the challenge of being comfortable with a F2F sale, and confirming that each sale is truly intrastate.
 
There are two concerns here. The first is the extent of the information that has to go into such a system. That's a goldmine for identity theft, and it's bait for hackers.

The second is the misconception that gun-control advocates would let us have anything that does us good. Any proposed system would end up being poisoned or used against us.

Given that nobody has been able to show any kind of strong correlation between background checks and a reduction in crime, it's safe to say the original system is broken and useless. I don't understand why people would want to expand it.
 
I do, sort of: a SC-issued CWP works quite well, and I've never had an issue asking for or showing one.

Perhaps I haven't had an issue because I strictly filter who I'll reply to on Armslist. . . if you can't spell, I can't see answering you.
 
A couple of years ago, Virginia laws on firearms were updated to include a requirement that the State Police provide a free voluntary background check service at all gun shows in the state.Of course, all dealers at the shows would continue to use their NICS access as FFLs for their sales. These State Police services were for individuals completing face to face (F2F) personal sales at the shows. The last time I saw statistics on usage of the services, the reports are fewer than ten checks per show over the course of each 2- or 3-day show. Apparently, most F2F sellers would not avail themselves of the service.
In my experience at Virginia gun shows, the State Police background check table is a very lonely place. There seems to be a built-in distrust of these checks. If I was selling a gun to an individual, I would probably use the service. But, that would probably lose me the customer. I would more likely just sell the gun to a dealer, and be done with it.

The State Police voluntary background check provision was part of a "grand compromise" on guns, after the state tried to severely restrict carry reciprocity with other states. Setting up this system was part of the price to get full reciprocity restored. The reason the antigunners agreed to this is that they saw it as a trial run for when the system is made mandatory. Still, if a UBC is adopted at the federal level, the state system, even if mandatory, would give Virginia residents an advantage in that: (a) it would be free, and (b) no record of the gun would be kept. That assumes that the federal UBC would be FFL-based, but that states could opt out of it if they had their own equivalent system.
 
Interesting, in TX - the LTC lets you buy a gun without the NICS check. Thus, many private sellers ask to see the buyer's LTC before a sale. These people are obviously traitors as they are engaging in background check activity. OMG. The LTC has a background check. The government knows you are a gun owner if you get a LTC. OMG.

AlexanderA points out a compromise - OMG!
 
The government already knows I own guns. They don't know how many or where they are buried. :)

Having sold a few guns on Armslist and at gun shows, I have noticed that when I say "I will need to see a KY driver's license or some other proof you are a resident" that I get fewer responses. To me that means I'm either driving away prohibited persons or the super-paranoid. I'm fine not selling a gun to either. Asking a guy if he's willing to let you run a background check might be a good screening question even if you don't end up actually doing it.

Just as an aside, one of the nastiest PMs I've ever received anywhere was here, and it was about the topic of asking people to see an ID when doing a private gun transaction. Some people get really torqued up about this topic.
 
To what end? If I'm selling a gun, I want to see (not record info) from a Driver's license to identify a name and state, and a photo, and a permit to purchase or a permit to carry from my state. (MN permit doesn't have a photo). While I'm potentially limiting my market, I'm good with that. If they're already permitted, the FFL effort is redundant.

BTW, in MN, the FFL has to take possession, log it in the bound book, and hold it for 3 days before they can release it to the buyer.
 
In my experience at Virginia gun shows, the State Police background check table is a very lonely place. There seems to be a built-in distrust of these checks. If I was selling a gun to an individual, I would probably use the service. But, that would probably lose me the customer. I would more likely just sell the gun to a dealer, and be done with it.

The State Police voluntary background check provision was part of a "grand compromise" on guns, after the state tried to severely restrict carry reciprocity with other states. Setting up this system was part of the price to get full reciprocity restored. The reason the antigunners agreed to this is that they saw it as a trial run for when the system is made mandatory. Still, if a UBC is adopted at the federal level, the state system, even if mandatory, would give Virginia residents an advantage in that: (a) it would be free, and (b) no record of the gun would be kept. That assumes that the federal UBC would be FFL-based, but that states could opt out of it if they had their own equivalent system.

My understanding is that if you use this voluntary check and you pass that by law no permanent record is allowed. The records are to be destroyed. My question is what if they don't? Who is going to enforce the law against the Virginia State Police?

Enforcement of the law is the option of the executive branch of the government. I suppose you could complain to the Governor or the Attorney General. I wonder how that would go?

In general the view of a government's executive branch toward law is much like that of a grocery shopper. You use those you like and allow the others to collect dust on the shelves. If you don't like how your government's executive branch uses or ignores a law, your solution is political and almost never civil or criminal. A bureaucracy tends to view law and its language as a thing of personal convenience, to be used, interpreted, or ignored as they see fit.

At times, even the courts have limited influence. Andrew Jackson was famous for asking after he lost his case in the Supreme Court against the Cherokee Nation, "How many troops does Justice Marshall have?"
 
My understanding is that if you use this voluntary check and you pass that by law no permanent record is allowed. The records are to be destroyed. My question is what if they don't? Who is going to enforce the law against the Virginia State Police?
I don't think the Virginia State Police are interested in compiling any more records than they are absolutely mandated to do. I'll give you an example. The State Police are charged with administering the Virginia Uniform Machine Gun Act, under which all machine guns in the state are required to be registered with them. A few years ago, they decided to verify their records. They sent me a letter listing all the machine guns they thought I had, asking me to verify the list. Well, it was a complete mess. They listed guns I didn't have, and failed to list guns I did have (all of which had been duly registered). I sent them the corrected list -- but never heard back from them.

Those who think the government is a well-oiled machine are greatly mistaken.
 
To me that means I'm either driving away prohibited persons or the super-paranoid. I'm fine not selling a gun to either.
From what I see, there are a lot of super-paranoid people in the gun world (probably for good reason). The antigunners are stoking this paranoia, by constantly floating ideas such as draconian "assault weapon" bans, that would cover most semiautomatics and their magazines. Ironically, the antigunners are thus making proposals like universal background checks less likely to be enacted. They have really jumped the shark in the last year or two.
 
I don't think the Virginia State Police are interested in compiling any more records than they are absolutely mandated to do. I'll give you an example. The State Police are charged with administering the Virginia Uniform Machine Gun Act, under which all machine guns in the state are required to be registered with them. A few years ago, they decided to verify their records. They sent me a letter listing all the machine guns they thought I had, asking me to verify the list. Well, it was a complete mess. They listed guns I didn't have, and failed to list guns I did have (all of which had been duly registered). I sent them the corrected list -- but never heard back from them.

Those who think the government is a well-oiled machine are greatly mistaken.
It's good to have this kind of direct information.
 
Only if forced to by law.
I've been in the background check biz--it's extreemely easy to get wrong, and if you find an error, it's Somebody Else's Problem and therefore invisible.
Even if it were just a call to the existing NICS, I wouldn't rely on that, either, not with it--presently--only being from 50-75% accurate as is.
 
Only if forced to by law.
There's an intermediate area in which a background check for FTF sales would not be mandated, but would be incentivized. (The carrot approach rather than the stick approach.) For example, if the gun was later misused, a seller who did a voluntary background check would be immune from civil liability. In addition, roadblocks such as fees would be waived.

But such creative ideas could have been proposed at an earlier stage, when the political forces surrounding guns were in closer balance. It's undoubtedly too late now, when we're about to get the worst possible system forced down our throats. (That is, an FFL-based BGC system with fees, 4473 forms, and entries in dealers' bound books.)
 
It's undoubtedly too late now, when we're about to get the worst possible system forced down our throats. (That is, an FFL-based BGC system with fees, 4473 forms, and entries in dealers' bound books.)
I'm sore afraid it's been "too late" for far too long.
And, it's equally sad that, if all we get is a limited-access phone-it-in-yourself NICS check only at gun shows, in non-POC, non-FOID States, that would have be counted as a "great victory."
Or, if it's a "toothless" all-non-FFL-trasnactions NICS check (a version of which is in the Senate, IIRC).

Now, were it politically feasible, your original idea, of a blind sign-in web access to NICS were available, I think that would get a lot of use. One that would be better if we could get the 14 States who have sent no information to NICS reduced by, oh, half.

The tech is not the problem, I could write a structured SQL query macro that would do everything the phone operator currently does--in milliseconds, not minutes. And, I'm a crusty old fart who learned fancy coding jackleg style.
The problem with that is that it would tip over a bunch of ricebowls, which makes it even less politically feaseable (Sigh). In the POC States, the tipping over ricebowls issues will delay action there, too.

Sigh
 
Can I use it for other things too? Definitely running babysitters or really anyone I am giving my address to through that system if available. I'd probably even run people through it just to take them hunting or shooting if only to show how much restriction there is currently on gun purchases. Of course since that isn't the case I plan to require a CHP or permit to purchase in the rare event I sell a gun to someone I don't know, hasn't happened yet but I still have time to fill the safe.
 
When I buy or sell I always ask are you willing to do a bill of sale. Lost a good deal on a sks on Armslist. Guy said he would rather not. So I never contacted him again. Just seemed to shady.
 
Yes. It would be nice to sell to a stranger knowing they passed a background check.
 
Would I use a voluntary system? Sure. I might check 5-6 possible buyers for each firearm I'm even vaguely considering selling.

Will I sign a bill of sale? Not with a straight face. A bill of sale is the buyer's proof of ownership. It is provided to the buyer by the seller. How it ever got twisted around the way it has in the gun culture baffles me.
 
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