Eight Smart Gun Bills Introduced On Day One

[ninjadude]

1. Banning high-capacity ammunition. HR 138. This bill from Reps. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) and Diana DeGette (D-CO) would ban anyone in the US from owning, buying, or trading high-capacity ammunition clips, like the kinds that are often used in mass shootings. Such clips allow a gunman to fire off as many as 100 rounds without stopping to reload. McCarthy’s connection to gun safety laws is personal: Her husband was killed and son critically injured during a mass shooting.

2. Closing the ‘gun show loophole.’ HR 141. Another measure from McCarthy requires that all gun purchasers undergo a full background check. As-is, the private sales of firearms, and the sale of guns at gun shows, are exempt from the background check requirements that are mandatory for other gun sales. That loophole is currently an easy way for criminals or the mentally ill to access a gun undetected.

3. Making the database of who cannot buy guns effective. HR 137. Currently, states do a terrible job of entering names — of felons or the mentally ill — into the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). This measure also from McCarthy is called the Fix Gun Checks Act, and has been introduced in previous legislative sessions. It would create incentives and penalties to encourage the efficient entry of names into NICS. It would also close the gun show loophole.

4. Regulating where and how ammunition is purchased. HR 142. McCarthy’s fourth and final bill would make it mandatory for all ammunition dealers to have a license to sell. It would also require anyone purchasing ammunition to do so in person, face-to-face with a seller. All bulk purchases of ammunition would need to be reported under McCarthy’s law. This bill responds to the criticisms that the internet is an open market for the unlimited sale of ammunition.

5. Requiring handguns to be registered. HR 117. Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ) crafted this national law based on his state’s requirements for handgun purchasing. It would require every single handgun sold in the United States to be licensed and registered, without any exceptions or loopholes, and for that registry to be easily accessible.

6. Regulating how gun licenses are issued. HR 34. Like Holt, Rep. Bobby Rush’s (D-IL) bill aims to create a unified system of gun licensing procedures — for both handguns and semi-automatic weapons. Rush’s legislation, a reintroduction of “Blair’s Bill,” named after a murdered Chicago teen, would also require gun safety training for firearm owners.

7. Raising the age of legal handgun ownership to 21. HR 65. In a move that seems pointed toward combating youth street violence, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) proposed this bill that would make it illegal to own a handgun before the age of 21. Some states have such laws in place, but Jackson Lee’s measure would make the law national.

8. Requiring the reporting of stolen guns. HR 21. This bill, which Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA) has introduced to Congress previously and is reintroducing to the new Congress, would also close the ‘gun show loophole’ by requiring all gun-owners to undergo background checks. Additionally, it would make sure that gun owners are required to report stolen guns — a measure that could help law enforcement track illegal guns.

http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2013/01/04/1397911/eight-smart-gun-bills/

[questionmark]

Except the first bill they all make sense to me, but lets see first if we have the do-nothing Congress reloaded... then nothing will get done again.

[Babe Ruth]

There are 1 or 2 reasonable parts to that proposal, but for the most part it's wishful thinking and kneejerk response, normal behavior for the US Congress.

No part of it would have stopped the crime that just happened in Newtown, the predicate act for this legislation.

[AsteroidX]

Its just a loophole filled piece of propaganda meant to satisfy the uniformed.

[+and-then]

I love the provisions for "databases". Reminds me of the old line -"I'm here from government, just to help" These kinds of dbases will help in the investigation and prosecution of mass shooters - but that's not usually a difficult task anyway. Banning the sale of new hi cap mags I could live with, but how, exactly, does one go about effectively forcing millions of owners to give up their property? I guess they just charge them as they find them in possession of the mags. It will criminalize a whole new class of otherwise carefully law abiding citizens. If an Arab spring can be organized online then I expect a massive, well coordinated civil disobedience campaign can be launched against any particularly egregious gun laws.

[s33ker]

It's amazing to me that assault rifles and high capacity clips are so easy to get hold of.

It seems kind of backwards and 3rd world-ish to me that guns can be brought at a Walmart

and the gunshow loophole is hysterically laughable. These 8 little changes to gun laws

are just common sense and should of been implemented long ago, but "the right to bear arms"

seem more important than any other "right", which is really sad.

[Bavarian Raven]

Only 3, 7, and 8 actually seem important though :/

[DarkHunter]

It's amazing to me that assault rifles and high capacity clips are so easy to get hold of.

It seems kind of backwards and 3rd world-ish to me that guns can be brought at a Walmart

and the gunshow loophole is hysterically laughable. These 8 little changes to gun laws

are just common sense and should of been implemented long ago, but "the right to bear arms"

seem more important than any other "right", which is really sad.

First what assault rifles are easy to get. To get a real assault rifle you need a level 3 gun license which are time consuming, expensive, and hard to get. You can get AR-15s pretty easily but they are not assault rifles, they make look like them but they are not assault rifles.

As for high capacity magazines, besides from the problem that banning them would create a large new class of criminals and be near impossible to enforce it would be pointless at best. If a criminal would want to get a high capacity magazine he would either buy one on the black market of high capacity magazines this would create or they would make one. What people seem to forget is that reloading a magazine does not take that long, at longest maybe 2 to 2.5 seconds to change a magazine. That small amount of time wouldn't really help at all, by the time a person would realize the gunman was reloading the gun would be reloaded.

The guns that can be bought at Walmart are hunting rifles and shotguns, not AK-47s, RPGs, or PKMs like you would find in a black market in a third world country.

The gun show loophole is problematic somewhat, it is an easier way to get guns, maybe even getting real assault rifles and lmgs if you can find a person who would be willing to sell them after all the trouble and taxes they went threw to get them, but how can you stop someone from selling what they privately own to someone else.

My personal favorite on this list has to be number 4, if you can't ban guns might as well do the next best thing and make ammo for the guns a lot harder and more expensive to get.

[Yamato]

1. Banning high-capacity ammunition. HR 138. This bill from Reps. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) and Diana DeGette (D-CO) would ban anyone in the US from owning, buying, or trading high-capacity ammunition clips, like the kinds that are often used in mass shootings. Such clips allow a gunman to fire off as many as 100 rounds without stopping to reload. McCarthy’s connection to gun safety laws is personal: Her husband was killed and son critically injured during a mass shooting.

2. Closing the ‘gun show loophole.’ HR 141. Another measure from McCarthy requires that all gun purchasers undergo a full background check. As-is, the private sales of firearms, and the sale of guns at gun shows, are exempt from the background check requirements that are mandatory for other gun sales. That loophole is currently an easy way for criminals or the mentally ill to access a gun undetected.

3. Making the database of who cannot buy guns effective. HR 137. Currently, states do a terrible job of entering names — of felons or the mentally ill — into the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). This measure also from McCarthy is called the Fix Gun Checks Act, and has been introduced in previous legislative sessions. It would create incentives and penalties to encourage the efficient entry of names into NICS. It would also close the gun show loophole.

4. Regulating where and how ammunition is purchased. HR 142. McCarthy’s fourth and final bill would make it mandatory for all ammunition dealers to have a license to sell. It would also require anyone purchasing ammunition to do so in person, face-to-face with a seller. All bulk purchases of ammunition would need to be reported under McCarthy’s law. This bill responds to the criticisms that the internet is an open market for the unlimited sale of ammunition.

5. Requiring handguns to be registered. HR 117. Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ) crafted this national law based on his state’s requirements for handgun purchasing. It would require every single handgun sold in the United States to be licensed and registered, without any exceptions or loopholes, and for that registry to be easily accessible.

6. Regulating how gun licenses are issued. HR 34. Like Holt, Rep. Bobby Rush’s (D-IL) bill aims to create a unified system of gun licensing procedures — for both handguns and semi-automatic weapons. Rush’s legislation, a reintroduction of “Blair’s Bill,” named after a murdered Chicago teen, would also require gun safety training for firearm owners.

7. Raising the age of legal handgun ownership to 21. HR 65. In a move that seems pointed toward combating youth street violence, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) proposed this bill that would make it illegal to own a handgun before the age of 21. Some states have such laws in place, but Jackson Lee’s measure would make the law national.

8. Requiring the reporting of stolen guns. HR 21. This bill, which Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA) has introduced to Congress previously and is reintroducing to the new Congress, would also close the ‘gun show loophole’ by requiring all gun-owners to undergo background checks. Additionally, it would make sure that gun owners are required to report stolen guns — a measure that could help law enforcement track illegal guns.

http://thinkprogress...mart-gun-bills/

More hoops for legal citizens to jump through, criminals to ignore, and debt for taxpayers to pay with interest.

[preacherman76]

I only see one of these as reasonable. You should have to report if your guns are stolen. Though I doubt thats a big problem. What law abiding citizan wouldnt report a home break in where thier guns were stolen?

Have to be 21 to own a gun? Then you should have to be 21 to join the military. If you are old enough to die for your country (with a AK 47 in hand no less) then you should be old enough to exorcise any right given to any American.

[Rafterman]

1. Banning high-capacity ammunition. HR 138. This bill from Reps. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) and Diana DeGette (D-CO) would ban anyone in the US from owning, buying, or trading high-capacity ammunition clips, like the kinds that are often used in mass shootings. Such clips allow a gunman to fire off as many as 100 rounds without stopping to reload. McCarthy’s connection to gun safety laws is personal: Her husband was killed and son critically injured during a mass shooting.

2. Closing the ‘gun show loophole.’ HR 141. Another measure from McCarthy requires that all gun purchasers undergo a full background check. As-is, the private sales of firearms, and the sale of guns at gun shows, are exempt from the background check requirements that are mandatory for other gun sales. That loophole is currently an easy way for criminals or the mentally ill to access a gun undetected.

3. Making the database of who cannot buy guns effective. HR 137. Currently, states do a terrible job of entering names — of felons or the mentally ill — into the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). This measure also from McCarthy is called the Fix Gun Checks Act, and has been introduced in previous legislative sessions. It would create incentives and penalties to encourage the efficient entry of names into NICS. It would also close the gun show loophole.

4. Regulating where and how ammunition is purchased. HR 142. McCarthy’s fourth and final bill would make it mandatory for all ammunition dealers to have a license to sell. It would also require anyone purchasing ammunition to do so in person, face-to-face with a seller. All bulk purchases of ammunition would need to be reported under McCarthy’s law. This bill responds to the criticisms that the internet is an open market for the unlimited sale of ammunition.

5. Requiring handguns to be registered. HR 117. Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ) crafted this national law based on his state’s requirements for handgun purchasing. It would require every single handgun sold in the United States to be licensed and registered, without any exceptions or loopholes, and for that registry to be easily accessible.

6. Regulating how gun licenses are issued. HR 34. Like Holt, Rep. Bobby Rush’s (D-IL) bill aims to create a unified system of gun licensing procedures — for both handguns and semi-automatic weapons. Rush’s legislation, a reintroduction of “Blair’s Bill,” named after a murdered Chicago teen, would also require gun safety training for firearm owners.

7. Raising the age of legal handgun ownership to 21. HR 65. In a move that seems pointed toward combating youth street violence, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) proposed this bill that would make it illegal to own a handgun before the age of 21. Some states have such laws in place, but Jackson Lee’s measure would make the law national.

8. Requiring the reporting of stolen guns. HR 21. This bill, which Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA) has introduced to Congress previously and is reintroducing to the new Congress, would also close the ‘gun show loophole’ by requiring all gun-owners to undergo background checks. Additionally, it would make sure that gun owners are required to report stolen guns — a measure that could help law enforcement track illegal guns.

http://thinkprogress...mart-gun-bills/

And NONE of these would have stopped any of the recent mass shootings.

Just more hoops for law abiding citizens to jump through.

I think I'll pull out my checkbook and send the NRA a few hundred bucks.

[AsteroidX]

This would be a good mandatory gun bill. Shoot the intruder until he stops moving. Its messy but effective.

supporting link provided

http://www.ajc.com/news/news/local/mother-of-two-surprises-burglar-with-five-gunshots/nTnGR/

[Hasina]

Criminals will always ignore laws, this is why they're criminals.

[MstrMsn]

Criminals will always ignore laws, this is why they're criminals.

NO!!! You can NOT use logic with these people!!! Stop now, it's a waste of time (trust me, I live in a very liberal state, and our gun laws are the most confusing in the Nation).

[Imaginarynumber1]

[acidhead]

dumb

[acidhead]

This would be a good mandatory gun bill. Shoot the intruder until he stops moving. Its messy but effective.

supporting link provided

http://www.ajc.com/n...gunshots/nTnGR/

Woman Defends Home and Children by Shooting Intruder 5 Times

• 
  

Adan Salazar

Infowars.com

January 6, 2013

In another victory for responsible gun-owners, a mother defended herself and her two children using a firearm after a burglar broke into their home this past Friday.

It happened in Loganville, Georgia, about 35 miles east of Atlanta. “The woman was working in an upstairs office when she spotted a strange man outside a window, according to Walton County Sheriff Joe Chapman,” reported WSBTV.com.

continued...

*****

[Imaginarynumber1]

dumb

Then you should enjoy it.

[Andami]

Have to be 21 to own a gun? Then you should have to be 21 to join the military. If you are old enough to die for your country (with a AK 47 in hand no less) then you should be old enough to exorcise any right given to any American.

This is the only proposal that I actually disagree with. 18 is adulthood. Why should adults ages 18-20 be denied rights that other adults have?

[Rafterman]

This is the only proposal that I actually disagree with. 18 is adulthood. Why should adults ages 18-20 be denied rights that other adults have?

Let's also point out that CT law says that you have to be 21 to possess a pistol. Adam Lanza was 20.

The law did not stop him.

[+HerNibs]

I, as a legal gun owner, don't have much of an issue with any of the suggestions but none of them would or will stop gun violence.

Nibs

[aztek]

lol, they are anything but smart.

[RavenHawk]

This is all clearly a knee-jerk reaction and very little is common sense.

1. Banning high-capacity ammunition.

How is this going to stop gun crime? You make it illegal to own HCCs, so what? People still drank during “Prohibition”. Organized Crime became more powerful during that time. All this does is prevent law abiding citizens from arming themselves to defend against a tyrannical government and it creates a black market for HCCs. Have we not learned anything?

2. Closing the ‘gun show loophole.’

The concept of a background check is OK but like most Socialist ideas, it’s only thought out for the short term. This will only catch the really stupid criminals. Criminals get their weapons the old fashion way. They either steal it or buy it in the black market. This would not have stopped Sandy Hook or Aurora. Guns are inherited (all mine are) or people that pass a background check doesn’t mean that they won’t snap later.

3. Making the database of who cannot buy guns effective.

Initially, a good idea but what happens if one is placed on this list by accident or incorrectly? This would open the government up to a huge law suit. There needs to be an exceptional process to deal with appeals and corrections so that people don’t have to jump through loops and are harassed to correct a bureaucratic error. The best way to protect our Constitutional Rights would be not to have this law in the first place.

4. Regulating where and how ammunition is purchased.

This is Obama’s baby. This is his way to get around the 2nd. We get to keep our guns but we can’t have the bullets.

The whole point of the internet is to be able to do exactly that (unlimited sale of whatever). This is the soul of commerce and the foundation of this country. If the technology was available, I’m sure that the Founding Fathers with the fluency of their letters would all have a blackberry or Iphone and would be tweeting every chance they had.

5. Requiring handguns to be registered.

All this accomplishes is giving the government a list of who may own firearms. This won’t stop crime. When the Soviets invaded Poland in ’39, they had a list of who owned guns and they rounded up all those that did and sent them to the Siberian gulags. My Father-in-Law was 3 then and his father had a gun. The whole family was shipped off to Siberia. He obviously survived but this is the only good a list kept by the government is for. It does more harm than good.

6. Regulating how gun licenses are issued.

Now this is a good idea. Like how people are licensed to drive. At least insure that those that own firearms are required to have gun safety training and for those that carry in public, live fire combat training where you must re-qual on a yearly (?) basis. Besides, if everyone must buy health insurance, it wouldn’t be much of a stretch to force everyone to buy a gun. But the bottom line is that this won’t stop gun crime.

7. Raising the age of legal handgun ownership to 21.

Yeah right. A juvenile gang-banger is going to follow that? It would just make owning an illegal gun the “IN” thing. All this does is show how out of touch our political leaders are from the people and the concepts of the Constitution. It use to be that thirteen year olds owned their own guns and learned how to shoot and how to respect them. What has changed? Guns haven’t changed.

8. Requiring the reporting of stolen guns.

Really? I think most gun owners that get robbed, any lost guns are at the top of the list that gets reported.

Again, I must reiterate that these bills are useless, do nothing, feel good, knee-jerk reactions. We have far more important issues facing us like the debt and the economy.

Edited January 7, 2013 by RavenHawk

[aztek]

nyc has all of that, yet it is useless against gangs, they still have all their guns illegaly. they don't even carry them all the time, they hide them under parked cars on their street when they are there, when needed, they get them, and shoot with no hesitation., but when cops come, none has guns on them.

absolutely uselss bills, some of them were enacted, and proven to be useless.

Edited January 7, 2013 by aztek

[Drayno]

This is all clearly a knee-jerk reaction and very little is common sense.

How is this going to stop gun crime? You make it illegal to own HCCs, so what? People still drank during "Prohibition". Organized Crime became more powerful during that time. All this does is prevent law abiding citizens from arming themselves to defend against a tyrannical government and it creates a black market for HCCs. Have we not learned anything?

The concept of a background check is OK but like most Socialist ideas, it's only thought out for the short term. This will only catch the really stupid criminals. Criminals get their weapons the old fashion way. They either steal it or buy it in the black market. This would not have stopped Sandy Hook or Aurora. Guns are inherited (all mine are) or people that pass a background check doesn't mean that they won't snap later.

Initially, a good idea but what happens if one is placed on this list by accident or incorrectly? This would open the government up to a huge law suit. There needs to be an exceptional process to deal with appeals and corrections so that people don't have to jump through loops and are harassed to correct a bureaucratic error. The best way to protect our Constitutional Rights would be not to have this law in the first place.

This is Obama's baby. This is his way to get around the 2nd. We get to keep our guns but we can't have the bullets.

The whole point of the internet is to be able to do exactly that (unlimited sale of whatever). This is the soul of commerce and the foundation of this country. If the technology was available, I'm sure that the Founding Fathers with the fluency of their letters would all have a blackberry or Iphone and would be tweeting every chance they had.

All this accomplishes is giving the government a list of who may own firearms. This won't stop crime. When the Soviets invaded Poland in '39, they had a list of who owned guns and they rounded up all those that did and sent them to the Siberian gulags. My Father-in-Law was 3 then and his father had a gun. The whole family was shipped off to Siberia. He obviously survived but this is the only good a list kept by the government is for. It does more harm than good.

Now this is a could idea. Like how people are licensed to drive. At least insure that those that own firearms are required to have gun safety training and for those that carry in public, live fire combat training where you must re-qual on a yearly (?) basis. Besides, if everyone must buy health insurance, it wouldn't be much of a stretch to force everyone to buy a gun. But the bottom line is that this won't stop gun crime.

Yeah right. A juvenile gang-banger is going to follow that? It would just make owning an illegal gun the "IN" thing. All this does is show how out of touch our political leaders are from the people and the concepts of the Constitution. It use to be that thirteen year olds owned their own guns and learned how to shoot and how to respect them. What has changed? Guns haven't changed.

Really? I think most gun owners that get robbed, any lost guns are at the top of the list that gets reported.

Again, I must reiterate that these bills are useless, do nothing, feel good, knee-jerk reactions. We have far more important issues facing us like the debt and the economy.

Totally agree, sir.