Aussies Trying to Defend US Gun Owners

[Cortez]

THis is the sort of thing we pro gun ownership people try to fight against, here in Australia. THis was posted by a guy calling himself "straightshooter" from NSW in Australia. Was it aimed at Australians? No - it was a shot directly at US gun owners.

Attempts by pro gun owners here to contest the views presented were banned:

I Think everyone here would agree with this
« Thread Started on Mar 21, 2006, 1:47pm »

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Yesterday’s announcement by police in Chicago that a gun trafficker under federal investigation since last summer allegedly killed a 14-year-old child in a blaze of assault weapon fire is further proof of the need for local, state and Federal officials to take serious steps to combat illegal gun trafficking.

Carail Weeks purchased a firearm last July that was recovered as the gun used in an armed robbery eight days later. Federal law enforcement authorities traced the gun to Weeks, according to the Chicago Tribune, who bought it from a dealership in Indianapolis notorious for selling guns later recovered in crime.

Had federal gun laws been stronger, Weeks may not have been able to traffic that initial gun, or been able to purchase multiple guns at a nearby gun store also notorious for selling crime guns. Certainly Weeks, a man who had been arrested numerous times and who was using false identification, should not have been able to purchase the Romanian WASR-10 assault rifle and high-capacity magazine used to kill 14-year-old Starkesia Reed in Chicago on March 3rd.

Authorities know of at least two gun dealerships where Weeks purchased firearms: Don’s Guns in Indianapolis and Brandi’s in Camby, Indiana. Between them, Don’s and Brandi’s have sold thousands of guns that were later traced to crimes.

“Another child has died who didn’t need to die,” said Jim Brady, the former press secretary to President Reagan who was wounded in an assassination attempt on the President 25 years ago this month. “We need to strangle the illegal gun trade by strengthening the hand of federal agents investigating these gun traffickers, stopping people from buying multiple firearms, and padlocking the doors of the worst gun dealers in America.”

There are a number of policies that could be enacted at the federal, state and local level to stop illegal gun trafficking and reduce gun violence. Unfortunately, at the Federal level, policy makers have actually taken steps that have made the situation not only worse but also harder to detect. Unfortunately, the Bush Administration and Congress have recently implemented a number of measures that only help corrupt gun sellers, such as requiring the destruction of background check records and shielding corrupt gun sellers from scrutiny in the civil courts.

Among the steps that should be taken:

Allow the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to inspect federal firearms licensees more than once a year. Under current law, the ATF is limited to one routine record keeping inspection of a federal firearms licensee within a 12-month period.
Allow ATF to fine gun sellers or suspend their federal firearm licenses if they commit a crime. ATF generally may not impose a fine or license suspension on gun dealers who violate the law. Instead, ATF may attempt to revoke a dealer’s license, but this gives ATF limited enforcement flexibility by requiring an all-or-nothing approach - ATF can either begin a difficult revocation proceeding or levy no administrative penalty at all. One ATF Director testified, “[W]hen we attempt to revoke [a dealer’s] license, his remedies are such that it may go on for 2 or 3 years…”
Prohibit bulk sales of handguns. Currently, federal law does not limit the number of firearms that a person can purchase in a single transaction. So gun traffickers can buy dozens of guns at a time. And gun traffickers usually deal in handguns. Though the gun lobby has worked to block more recent data, an analysis of 1999 data showed that handguns comprised 78 percent of all traced crime guns. Congress should pass legislation stopping large volume handgun sales so that gun traffickers cannot amass the supply of guns they need to make their illegal sales worthwhile.
Change the reporting requirement for “multiple sales,” which are a significant indicator of gun trafficking, so that gun sellers must report “multiple sales” of two or more handguns within 30 days, instead of the current five business day period. Current federal law requires dealers to report to ATF any “multiple sales” of two or more handguns that occur within five consecutive business days. This allows gun traffickers to buy a handgun every sixth business day and still acquire a significant number of handguns for illegal resale without any “multiple sale” notification to law enforcement.

Gun industry extremists, meanwhile, have been blocking the Illinois legislature from banning AK-47s and their clones - the type of gun used in the Reed homicide. Earlier this week, Illinois gun industry lobbyist Richard Pearson said Chicago Mayor Richard Daley was “delusional” for wanting to stiffen gun laws, and the gun lobby has targeted Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich for defeat in November for his support of the assault weapons ban proposal.

“It is past time for the state to act to get these weapons off the streets, and Illinois should set an example for Indiana to follow,” said Jennifer Bishop, Illinois State Director for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.

 

[Cortez]

Here's another example of abuse of US gun rights by that dear "lady" TOM from Atlanta Georgia and which pro gun supporters are contesting:

NRA is the criminals Friend
« Thread Started on Mar 20, 2006, 3:32am »

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Pressed by the National Rifle Association, a House subcommittee will be holding a hearing Wednesday afternoon on what the NRA is scurrilously calling “abuse” by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), as well as state and local law enforcement, in an investigation of Virginia gun shows.

Those that were allegedly “abused” include wanted felons, drug abusers and people who sold guns to murderers.

The NRA wanted these hearings because they are unhappy with an ATF crackdown on crimes at gun shows, particularly a series of investigations into gun shows in the Richmond, Virginia area. One reason this is odd is that the investigation was part of the effort called “Project Exile,” which was launched with NRA support and fanfare some years back. But even more odd is that the results of the law enforcement scrutiny of the Richmond area gun shows was a startling number of arrests for significant crimes and misdemeanors. As the ATF stated in a letter to the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee:


As part of ATF’s role in reducing violent crime and enforcing firearms laws, we have been involved in investigations at gun shows. Such investigations have shown that prohibited persons, such as felons, buy firearms at these shows. ATF’s enforcement efforts at gun shows also indicate that firearms illegally diverted at or through gun shows have been recovered in subsequent crimes, such as homicide and robbery. For example, since May 2004, firearms used in four homicides have been linked to transactions occurring at gun shows in the Richmond area.” [underline added.]



Earlier in the letter, the ATF had noted:



Preliminary Virginia State Police data show that enforcement efforts from Richmond area gun shows during 2004-2005 resulted in arrests for the following violations of State and Federal laws: Making false statements on ATF Form 4473 (17 violations); Felon in Possession of a Firearm (2); Straw Purchase of a Firearm (13); Possession of Marijuana (5); Possession of Cocaine (1); Felony Fugitive Apprehension (7); Misdemeanor Fugitive Apprehension (5); Carrying a Concealed Weapon (5); and Grand Larceny – Theft of Firearm (1).


“Clearly, this was a very successful law enforcement effort. The Brady Campaign applauds the ATF, Virginia State Police, and the local police for their hard work,” said Michael D. Barnes, President of the Brady Campaign. “The gun lobby always claims that the solution to gun violence is for law enforcement to enforce the laws already on the books – but its attacks on this law enforcement operation and Project Exile – which the NRA itself has endorsed – show its true colors.”

NRA attacks against law enforcement are nothing new. In fact, this is one of its standard tactics. Many Americans remember President Bush’s father, George Herbert Walker Bush, resigning from the NRA when the organization called ATF “jack-booted government thugs.”

One of the principal rhetorical arguments of the NRA has been “enforce the gun laws on the books instead of passing new ones.” It is reasonable to assert that the ATF officers were doing precisely that – enforcing the laws on the books. The ATF was participating in this investigation with local law enforcement “as part of Virginia's Project Exile Program,” according to the ATF letter.

Ideally, this House hearing would lay the groundwork for a strengthening of gun laws, and more resources for the ATF. Regrettably, because the gun lobby’s allies are firmly in control, Congress will likely continue in exactly the opposite direction.

“The legacy of this Congress on gun violence is shameful,” Sarah Brady said today. “The gun lobby has been granted special favors at the expense of the public’s safety.” These include riders in appropriations bills that limit ATF’s effectiveness, and sweeping legal protections for the gun industry that prevent gun violence victims from holding reckless gun sellers accountable in the courts.

In recent months, community leaders across the country have rallied to stop gun violence. In New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago and many other cities, Mayors are urging that Congress do something about illegal guns. “It appears that instead of trying to do something productive,” Barnes said, “the NRA’s friends in Congress are on a mission to intimidate the ATF out of enforcing even the laws on the books. It’s a deeply troubling dynamic.”

For a variety of documents about the gun show investigation, visit www.bradycampaign.org.


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People with GUNS KILL KIDS