Wednesday, October 07, 2009

Gun Nuts


I wonder if all those lawmakers who were so eager to ban federal funds to an anti-poverty group after a fake pimp and prostitute got two or three ACORN offices to offer them assistance will be eager to take on the NRA after a New York City undercover investigation found 19 out of 30 private gun sellers willing to sell firearms to buyers who said they could not pass a background check?
Here's betting that Congress will be far less concerned about closing the gun-show loophole in background checks -- a loophole that puts lots of real guns in the hands of real bad guys -- than it was about cracking down on ACORN.
In passing, I'd note that closing the gun show loophole is a stated goal of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), as is the eradication of extreme poverty.
UPDATE: Tried to post this link in a comment but it did not work. Take two.
Oh, and as "Idiot" was originally used in ancient Greek city-states to refer to people who were overly concerned with their own self-interest and ignored the needs of the community I'll stand by that as well.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

From your post:

"Here's betting that Congress will be far less concerned about closing the gun-show loophole in background checks -- a loophole that puts lots of real guns in the hands of real bad guys -- than it was about cracking down on ACORN."

And your proof that the gun show "loophole" puts lots of real guns in the hands of "real bad guys" would be....?

Are you sure that lots of "real bad guys" buy guns at gun shows, or are you simply making a statement for which you absolutely no evidence?

The fact is, pastor, that the law prohibits sellers at guns shows from selling guns to anyone who will not file the required papers.

The NYPD conducted a sting operation. Some of the gun-sellers apparently violated the law. They should be charged and tried.

David Ensign said...

Evidence: http://cbs13.com/crime/gun.shows.crime.2.1159216.html. It's not the only study to show the same pattern, just the most recent. Besides, it does not take a rocket scientist to figure that criminals are going to follow the path of least likely resistance to get their guns. The fact is, anon, the loophole in the law is idiotic, and, as the General Assembly affirmed, it should be closed.

Unknown said...

Domestic violence month - Men used guns to murder their female partners in 51 pct. of such cases in 2007. ACORN gives bad advice and gun shows provide weapons. Which is a greater danger to our society?
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Careful documentation of data about domestic violence and the full report is at: http://www.vpc.org/studies/wmmw2009.pdf

Anonymous said...

The link in your post isn't working -- it takes me to a "Page Not Found".

I get the fact that you think that the loophole in the law (by which I think you mean that it is legal, under certain circumstances, for guns to be bought and sold at guns shows) is "idiotic". That is not a fact (as you assert). It is your opinion.

But what I asked for was evidence for your statement that the loophole puts "lots of real guns in the hands of real bad guys."

So far, you've not provided any evidence of that assertion.

I do trust that you know the difference between a fact and an opinion.

Anonymous said...

Hey, Mike --

I think I hear you saying that an organization that enables (and even encourages) people to set up businesses to uses underage girls as prostitutes is really no big deal.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous,

I very much want to hear different opinions, but would appreciate it if the comments could be less inflammatory and more civil--more of a dialogue...

And I was able to click through to Mike's link when I tried just now--maybe it just wasn't working earlier.

Thanks,
MH

TunisiaMama said...

I'm sorry Anonymous, but if you can't pass a criminal background check, and go around the law to obtain a firearm, you're probably a bad guy. Not rocket science.