JimofPennsylvan
Platinum Member
- Jun 6, 2007
- 863
- 507
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I don't think it is real clear to those Americans following the gun control debate why there is the hang-up on an agreement for this legislation between a group of Senate Democrats and Senate Republicans which is real unfortunate because this is meaningful legislation and if the hang-up can be overcome it looks like the bill will at least pass the Senate anyway. The Wall Street Journal, today, reported the hang-up like this. Both sides are in agreement that the country needs to expand background checks on gun purchasers to stop people that have a serious criminal record or people that have a serious mental health problems that makes it too risky to allow them to own guns from being able to purchase a gun. The background check initiative is to expand it to all gun sales; gun show sales, private sales, etc.. The hang-up is apparently that the Democrats want a requirement in the legislation that all sellers of guns must keep paperwork on each sale documenting that they did a background check on the gun buyer. The Republicans don't like this provision because they believe it is a first step to creating a national gun registry that will hold a record on every American that owns a gun in the country and what type of gun(s) they own and the Republicans believe this is wrong, in part, because it is an invasion of privacy, we wouldn't want a national registry of who has home security systems, we wouldn't want a national registry of what if any expensive jewelry each American has in their home. To many ordinary Americans this seems like a foolish and unnecessary dispute for the Democrats to have for the following reason. First, if your concerned about being able to verify that a seller of guns did a background check on a certain buyer the Federal organization that maintains the computer systems that hold the records of felony criminal records and records of serious mental health problems from which the background checks will be run through this Federal organization will have a computer record that a background check was done it has too because the gun purchasers name and personal information will needed to be loaded into the system to do the check which puts the information on some memory chip somewhere. Second, if the Democrats purpose with these provisions is to move the country in the direction of a national registry on guns that will aid law enforcement in the investigation of crimes and will create an atmosphere in the country where ownership of guns is tightly controlled to curtail their proliferation in our society and to lower the probability of guns getting into the hands of people that will use them in violation of law, the Democrats are certainly infringing on gun owners right of privacy as well intentioned as the Democrats are. One day America may decide there is compelling reasons to allow such an invasion of privacy but I don't think the reasons lie today. Further, the primary purpose with this legislation is to stop the Sandy Hooks, Aurora and like scenarios from occurring in America, stopping the bad guys from getting hold of a gun, this mandating of a paper trail for gun purchases offers very little if any assistance in this area. Finally, the Senate Democrats should want to pass legislation in this area that will eventually become law, the House Republicans will see this paper trail requirement as an opening of the door on a national gun registry which they zealously oppose so the House Republicans will shut the door on this bill becoming law if it rrrives in their chamber with this provision. In short, the Democrats should drop this paper record requirement on gun sellers because they gain little public policy benefit over it and it will act like a fatal bullet shot into the legislation if it is included!
