Delaware No. 1 in gun-buy rejection rate

Wilmington (DE) News Journal ^ | 12/29/2003 | By J.L. MILLER

[Gabz]

When customers enter a Delaware gun shop, they stand a higher chance of failing the mandatory background checks than would-be buyers in any other state, according to figures released this fall by the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics.

Of the 9,464 checks run in Delaware in 2002, 407 purchases were rejected - a rejection rate of 4.3 percent. The national rate was 1.7 percent, and the second-highest ranking was a 3.8 percent rate in Colorado. Delaware's rate was higher in 2001, when 5.6 percent of attempted purchases were rejected. The national rate that year was 1.9 percent.

[Puppage]

It may be that checks are more thorough in Delaware

Oh, BS!

[Gabz]

"You can get declined for all kinds of reasons," Steele said. "If you were charged with something in 1952 and there's no disposition on that, then you have to get that expunged off your record. Most of the time, it's something stupid."

He's got that right.

A number of years ago my husband, for reasons not necessary to go into, pawned his shotgun which he had purchased, in Delaware, about 6 months earlier with no problem.

When he went to pull it out of hock a back-ground check was done and he was denied.

In the background check a charge of felony tresspassing was found on his record from 20 years earlier. What the record failed to show was that the charge had been dropped.

It finally took me contacting the state Attorney General herself personally to get his record expunged because he was getting no cooperation whatsoever from the DOJ.

My husband contacted some of his friends that had been involved in the same incident that had caused the arrest when they were all about 18 or 19 and 3 of them checked their records and found the exact same problem.

[Gabz]

You're right.

It's not that the checks are more thorough - it's that the Delaware records have a tendency to inaccurately reflect charges.

[Conspiracy Guy]

Delaware. Is that like Tupperware?

[Gabz]

It's Dela-where??????????

[Atlas Sneezed]

When you post

to the bang list

don't forget

your ass-to-risk!

[Conspiracy Guy]

Del Aware

[Gabz]

Thanks - this is the first time I've ever tried to post to that particular list.

[Squantos]

http://www.freerepublic.com/~banglist/index?U=%2Ffocus%2Ff-news%2Fbrowse

Maybe he has a FRiend named "Bang_list".......with no ass to risk.....:o)

But we know the answer.........Stay Safe !

[Onelifetogive]

Delaware No. 1 in gun-buy rejection rate...

Arizona is No. 1 in lung disease deaths...

Does this mean the air quality is bad...quite the opposite. The air quality is great. People dying of lung disease move there.

"No. 1 in gun-buy rejection rate" can just as easily mean that NJ is the known for lax background checks and is where people go if they know they won't qualify elsewhere...

[capitan_refugio]

Delaware must have a fair number of criminals in residence.
Isn't that where Joe Biden is from? ;^)

[NMFXSTC]

And when a state pulls off this sort of crap, it makes buying from private owners or the street quite attractive and insures Big Bro has no handle on any gun ownership (which the govt shouldn't to begin with!)

[Gabz]

Delaware is number 2.

Not so much because the air quality is lousy, which it is, but for the same reason as Arizona - people dying of lung disease move there.

"No. 1 in gun-buy rejection rate" can just as easily mean that NJ is the known for lax background checks and is where people go if they know they won't qualify elsewhere...

Or as my situation points out - Delaware's records are not kept up to date.

[Gabz]

Isn't that where Joe Biden is from? ;^)

And another reason I am thankful to be outta there!!!

[meatloaf]

I suspect you'd have the same problem anywhere both the FBI and state records were checked. An acquaintance of mine was recently denied at Walmart. He's never been arrested or charged with anything. Turned out because he belongs to the VFD and was one of those that went through the training to respond to fires at the local federal prison, the FBI flagged his record while doing the background check.

The flag had the same impact as a conviction.

[BFM]

When customers enter a Delaware gun shop, they stand a higher chance of failing the mandatory background checks than would-be buyers in any other state, ...

And how many of these would-be buyers (who do attempt to purchase firearms illegally) are then arrested, convicted and sentenced to jail for attempting illegal firearms purchases? Or does Delaware and the other states continue to just "let them go"?

If they're not supposed to purchase/posses a firearm, aren't they breaking the law, again? Why aren't they prosecuted? I guess we could just pass a few more laws to make us all feel better!?!

[Gabz]

Yikes!

[Gabz]

And how many of these would-be buyers (who do attempt to purchase firearms illegally) are then arrested, convicted and sentenced to jail for attempting illegal firearms purchases? Or does Delaware and the other states continue to just "let them go"?

In the case of my husband, as explained above, thank goodness they "just let him go" because it was their records at fault, not my husband trying to do something illegal.

The person making the call (merchant) for the background check is not told why someone is rejected - they are just told yes or no. So unless the LEO who knows why there is a rejection being made either tells the merchant to stall the "purchaser" or just delays giving an answer until a unit can be dispatched to the location the rejected would-be purchaser would be free to leave.

There have been 2 examples on this thread of people being denied, neither of whom were attempting to illegally purchase a firearm. I'm sure there a thousands of similar stories..

While the original intent of background checks may have had some good intentions - the system is terribly, terribly flawed.

[waterstraat]

the background checks are doing what they were intended to do: cut off gun sales to felons

I have a new idea, but I dont think too many people will like it. Why dont we just keep felons in prison?