Posted on 06/13/2007 9:04:10 AM PDT by Teacher317
House tempers background checks for guns
By JIM ABRAMS, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - The House Wednesday passed what could become the first major federal gun control law in over a decade, spurred by the Virginia Tech campus killings and buttressed by National Rifle Association help.
The bill, which was passed on a voice vote, would improve state reporting to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System to stop gun purchases by people, including criminals and those adjudicated as mentally defective, who are prohibited from possessing firearms.
Seung-Hui Cho, who in April killed 32 students and faculty at Virginia Tech before taking his own life, had been ordered to undergo outpatient mental health treatment and should have been barred from buying two guns he used in the rampage. But the state of Virginia had never forwarded this information to the national background check system.
If it moves through the Senate and is signed into law by the president, it would be the most important gun control act since Congress banned some assault weapons in 1994, the last year Democrats controlled the House. In 1996, Congress did add those convicted of domestic violence to the list of those banned from purchasing firearms.
The bill was the outcome of weeks of negotiations between the Rep. John Dingell (news, bio, voting record), D-Mich., the most senior member of the House and a strong supporter of gun rights, and the NRA, and in turn, with Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (news, bio, voting record), D-N.Y., and a leading gun-control advocate.
"This is good policy that will save lives," she said.
The NRA insisted that it was not a "gun control" bill because it does not disqualify anyone currently able to legally purchase a firearm.
The NRA has always supported the NICS, said the organization's executive vice president, Wayne LaPierre. "We've always been vigilant about protecting the rights of law-abiding citizens to purchase guns, and equally vigilant about keeping the guns out of the hands of criminals and the mentally defective and people who shouldn't have them."
Under a gun control act that passed in 1968, when Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. were killed, people barred from buying guns included those convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year in prison, illegal drug users, those adjudicated as mentally disabled, and illegal aliens.
The legislation approved Wednesday would require states to automate and share disqualifying records with the FBI's NICS database. The bill also provides $250 million a year over the next three years to help states meet those goals and imposes penalties, including cuts in federal grants under an anti-crime law, to those states that fail to meet benchmarks for automating their systems and supplying information to the NICS.
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The bill is H.R. 2640
On the Net:
Congress: http://thomas.loc.gov
NRA: http://www.nra.org
By the way, the main headline is the link posted on Yahoo’s main page.
The title that appears at the top of the actual article is posted at the top of my post.
$$$$$$
Who pays or is this yet another unfunded mandate the Liberals are so fond of.
from what I understand, because he wasn’t committed, it didn’t show up on his record. it appears they’re now trying to pass legislation that if you go see a shrink, it’ll show up, unless I’m reading it wrong.
This isn’t a response. It’s a reaction.
If it is mandated by the court, then is that when you can no longer buy a gun? Or is it when the shrink says you can no longer buy a gun? The voluntary part I would imagine is YOU saying you can no longer buy a gun. This bill is messed up.
"This is good policy that will save lives," she said.
Just like the policy that "helped" all those people on the Long Island train?
Speaking of "mentally ill"...
Totally agree. “Mental illness” can be pretty subjective and vague in detection and definition. It’s heading down that path that anyone with a sign of emotional stress will prevent them from having any weapons, leaving them totally defenseless.
Interesting assumption that he wouldn’t be able to obtain the firearms for his long-planned attack if he was not able to buy them from a gun shop.
Next they’ll say “Only a maniac would want to but THAT kind of a gun!” PURCHASE DENIED!
isn’t that what NFA, GCA, FOPA, AWB, etc are all saying?
Go Ron!
If one were to take AP literally, the answer would be that the funding comes from the bill. Of course WE know that the money will be coming from OUR pockets but the average Joe on the street and the overwhelming number of Rats and Libs will say that the money is going to come from Washington (which has this big safety deposit box in Kentucky that they guard with actual TANKS!!!!. And we all know that all Washington needs to do is crank up the presses in Philadelphia and Denver and VIOLA! $250 million in no time flat. See how easy?
-—The NRA insisted that it was not a “gun control” bill because it does not disqualify anyone currently able to legally purchase a firearm.-—
Then what’s the point? Help me out here.
“those adjudicated as mentally defective...”
Now JUST how long WILL it take a liberal judiciary do decide that desiring to own a gun is evidence one is mentally defective?!!!
The writer of the article left out one important word "misdemeanor". This was a huge expansion of gun control, and a huge mistake. Prior to this, only felonies could cause loss of gun rights. Having "felony" domestic violence convictions cause loss of gun rights, I have no problem with---but NO "misdemeanor" should do so.
The NRA (I’m a life member) is getting just like GWB and capitulating to the dark side.
The NRA is giving in to the lunatic left on gun rights and GWB is giving in to the lunatic left on amnesty for foreign invaders.
Be Ever Vigilant!!
Just another reason (and this thing is a BIG one!) why I no longer support the NRA.
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