Carolyn McCarthy is Tireless:Wants Background Checks for Gun Shop Workers

[3KillerBs]

Just because it's a good idea doesn't mean it needs to be law. Lots of things can be good ideas, but bad laws.

This cannot be overemphasized.

I'm not libertarian enough to believe that no laws should be made "merely" to promote an orderly society, rather than only to protect individual freedom. But many "common sense" laws are simply silly.

As a matter of common sense a gun shop owner should ensure that he's not hiring felons. But it should be a matter of good business sense, not law.

And if there are any adverse consequences from a felon deceiving a gun shop owner the penalty should fall solely on the felon.

 

[blackcash88]

Nothing more harmful here to RKBA than prohibiting underage waits to serve liquor.

Actually underage people CAN serve alcohol and even be bartenders as long as they are at least 18. Look at all the young wait staff who bring people their drinks at any restaurant.

 

[zoom6zoom]

Public schools do not hire sex offenders as teachers,

No, we never ever hear about teachers having sex with their students, do we?

 

[General Geoff]

I've come to assume that when an article says "commonsense," what they mean is "useless" and "unnecessary."

 

[misANTHrope]

Nah, I think that the real definition of "common sense" is "what I believe". That's regardless of whether it's in a news article, Congressional speech, or casual conversation.

It's a boil-down of the common American belief today: Because I believe this strongly, it should apply to the entire population uniformly.

It means I'm right and you're wrong, and if you disagree with me it's because you're an idiot.

In other words, it's elitism, plain and simple.

 

[Solo Flyer]

Nah, I think that the real definition of "common sense" is "what I believe". That's regardless of whether it's in a news article, Congressional speech, or casual conversation.

It's a boil-down of the common American belief today: Because I believe this strongly, it should apply to the entire population uniformly.

It means I'm right and you're wrong, and if you disagree with me it's because you're an idiot.

In other words, it's elitism, plain and simple.

Pure and clear thinking.Great post,IMHO.

 

[Mr Weebles]

Offering the first significant gun legislation since the U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling on the District of Columbia v. Heller, (the landmark case outlining the legality of gun laws) Representative Carolyn McCarthy (NY-4) has introduced a commonsense bill that tightens the criminal background check system by requiring background checks for all gun store employees and dealers.

I see they have a new spin on Heller.

McCarthy needs to realize that no amount of gun laws will bring her dead husband back. She should move on with her life.

 

[Henry Bowman]

However, there is no current requirement that federally licensed gun dealers perform criminal background checks on employees to determine whether they are persons prohibited from possessing guns.

Can she point to a single example of a crime this would habe prevented?

Can she point to a single gun store who doesn't do backround checks (in one form or another) on new hires?

Can she point to a single gun shop employee who is ineligible to possess guns or ammo under federal law?

Come back to us when you've found an actual problem, Carolyn.

I see they have a new spin on Heller.

Good catch, Weebles.

 

[RDak]

No Henry, she can't. Very, very sad woman. Guided by hatred.

My grandfather and grandmother on my mother's side had their extended families wiped out during WWI and they never said firearms should be prohibited for private citizens. In fact, just the opposite.

Like I said, very, very sad, hateful woman.

 

[ilbob]

i wonder if there is a single gun shop employee in the country who has not undergone the nics check at least once.

 

[71Commander]

How did this get introduced? I thought Bela Pelosi ordered them to go on vacation.

 

[WoofersInc]

i wonder if there is a single gun shop employee in the country who has not undergone the nics check at least once.

I was wondering the same thing myself. How many people look for work in a gun shop if they don't already own guns and have already been through the check?

 

[snowtigger]

"McCarthy needs to realize that no amount of gun laws will bring her dead husband back. She should move on with her life."


Sound's cold, but someone should ask this woman where her husband would be if he had been carrying a gun, legal or not....

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

Wasn't this also part of the infamous Smith & Wesson "agreement?"

There are already overlapping federal and possibly state/local laws regarding this, anyway.

 

[misANTHrope]

i wonder if there is a single gun shop employee in the country who has not undergone the nics check at least once.

It's quite prevalent at the big box places. Hell, it was true of me when I started working for Dick's years ago.

 

[blackcash88]

Yeah, but Dick's sells a lot more than just guns. Did you work in the gun department?

 

[Flyboy]

So what problem is this intended to solve?

An insufficient quantity of onerous regulation on the firearms industry?

(Whether that's a problem depends upon your point of view.)

 

[ieszu]

In her defense, I do know of a gunshop that did hire someone who was prohibited from owning a firearm... but as soon as the owner found out, the guy was fired. No crime had been committed, and the guy never handled a firearm alone.

I was actually denied on a NICS check... had to go through the appeals process. Found out that there was a felon with my name (I never put SSN down) and that he had died 6 years before!

We do need to fix the NICS before we expand its usage... and I agree its a problem that likely does not exist... and probably won't change anything even if they do implement it.

 

[Conqueror]

I probably won't win many friends by saying this, but I think this law actually has potential to HELP gun shops. Think about it: the smart shops are already doing this anyway and so will not be inconvenienced in the slightest. The stupid ones will simply be formally forced to comply with laws they should already be following, which will give the jack-booted thugs at ATF fewer reasons to close down your local gun shops.

 

[FieroCDSP]

conqeror, you're not seeing this in the light of what it will actually do. It will increase costs, and hassle to the shop owner, and require more oversight by the ATF, and all it will actually do is require chain stores (walmart,etc) to have only verified individuals sell guns.

I work in a box retailer. I was trained to sell guns. Many of the others that covered sporting goods were not. They had to get a manager to do the sale, not because they were felons, but because they were not trained in proceedures.

There is no actual problem to be solved by this law, from the gun-shops' view. There are a few loose ends that this will fix from the gun-grabbers side, however.

1:Hassle the shop owner. Pay money per employee to get a BG check done.
2:AG's office defines who and what are limited by this law, rather than legislature.
3:ATF is gven yet another open-ended method of shutting the store down. "Uh, this guy works for you and had a restraining order filed against him by his ex-wife last week. He can't work here. Or Else"

Again, what in this law is good for the store owner who already makes sure his people are legal and trained? There are already numerous laws on the books, both federal and state, that cover persons not elligible that sell guns. It's illegal for a felon to even touch a gun, let alone sell one. It's illegal for stores to engage in illegal firearms sales.

So what does this bill provide but more restrictions and no rewards?

 

[Bubbles]

...requiring background checks for all gun store employees and dealers.

Taking the above in the context of a big box retailer, the way I read it every employee would have to be able to pass NICS, not just those designated to sell firearms and ammunition. If that's the case, I see this bill as an attempt to encourage those retailers (like WalMart) to drop gun sales - or does WalMart do a background check on its employees already as a condition of employment?

 

[Carl N. Brown]

big box retailer ... drop gun sales

One of the differences between the original Dawn of the Dead movie and the recent remake was that in the original the gun shop was in the shopping mall, while in the recent remake the gunshop is in a seperate building across the street from the mall.

When I was a kid, the local shopping mall J.C. Penny and Sears both had gun departments. Now, they don't. One of the effects of the 1968 Gun Control Act has been to isolate the gun culture from the mainstream. I think that effect is a design intent of the architects of gun policy and I think it is ultimately a bad idea. When I was a kid, I learned about guns from hunting with my uncle, target practice with my dad, and reading Fur Fish and Game. Todays generation learns about guns from Grand Theft Auto and hip-hop rap. I think it is a giant leap in the wrong direction.

 

[Henry Bowman]

Very insightful, Mr. Brown.

 

[#shooter]

The problem with “commonsense” legislation is that it is often used as a Trojan horse for what the bill’s sponsors really want; in this case it seems to be more red tape and to close down gun shows. While background checks on employees are a good idea, it is all ready being done. Does anyone really think that the AG’s office will be able to complete these requests in 3 months? Will the ATF use this as another reason to shut down a gun store? What does this have to do with guns shows? Where does it end, will private sellers need to have AG approval sell their guns?
Think about it this way: the recent Heller decision basically removed or called into question a number of federal anti-gun laws, so the way to go now for the antis is to complete a 180 degree turn and adopt a state’s rights law perspective. If enough states go along then there will be a call to “standardize” the laws federally. It is basically a bottom up approach strategy, expect to see it done with ammo restrictions, assault weapons, and lead contamination.