Democrats Prep Gun Control Measures

Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) and Debbie Stabenow (Mich.) plan on introducing federal gun control legislation.  Perhaps Schumer and Stabenowdon’t realize that there are already federal laws that make it illegal for criminals to have guns.

Democrats hope to expand background checks to include domestic abuse reports and prevent any gun purchases until a full background check is completed, according to the letter. The plan would also make it illegal for someone to buy a gun on behalf of someone else who is unable to buy a firearm legally.

Under The Gun Control Act, criminals, already cannot not legal own a gun.

• Someone convicted of or under indictment for a felony punishable by more than one year in prison,
• Someone convicted of a misdemeanor punishable by more than two years in prison,
• A fugitive from justice, an unlawful user of any controlled substance,
• Someone who has been ruled as mentally defective or has been committed to any mental institution,
• An illegal alien,
• Someone dishonorably discharged from the military,
• Someone who has renounced his or her U.S. citizenship,
• Someone subject to certain restraining orders,
• Someone convicted of a domestic violence misdemeanor

Gun violence is not due to the of lack of laws and gun control on the books.  They are already in place, aimed at those who would break the law anyway.  The trouble seems to be the effective implementation of these laws.

The states should be given the tools to implement what works best for them, as they know it, in their own jurisdictions.  New legislation will not solve the problem of implementation.  City and state police work hard at keeping the bad guys from getting guns.  Give them the freedom to create what works in their own precincts and not handcuff them with new legislation that will require months and months of training and money to implement.

The Schumer and Stabenow legislation does not have an exact date for formal introduction, but this legislation is nothing but “a look at my feather in my congressional hat.”  See what I did?  I wrote a law.  I politicized a tragedy.

The plan is not expected to get much, if any, support from Republicans and may never receive a vote in the GOP-controlled Senate where 60 votes are needed for passage. Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas) has already proposed legislation that would encourage states to report more information about mentally ill individuals to the federal background check database. No date has been set for further action on the less restrictive Cornyn bill.

Source: Washington Post

Photo: maisa_nyc