The Virginian-Pilot
©
RICHMOND
A perennial effort to close the so-called "gun-show loophole" was shot down in a House subcommittee Thursday evening.
The bill would have required prospective buyers to undergo an instant criminal background check before buying a firearm from a private seller at a gun show.
Such checks are now required only when the gun is being sold by a licensed dealer.
Gun-control proponents, including the mayor of Richmond and several family members of students killed in the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre, spoke in favor of the measure. Gun-rights advocates opposed it.
The bill, HB1234, sponsored by Del. Jennifer McClellan, D-Richmond, was defeated 4-1 by a House Militia, Police and Public Safety subcommittee. Similar measures have died in the same panel in past years.
The subcommittee also killed HB879, sponsored by Del. Mamye BaCote, D-Newport News, which would have allowed localities to prohibit guns in public libraries.
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Just to clarify
1. The word "murder" or "killing" had been around long before firearms were ever invented. There is no correlation between the two.
2. Gun ownership has been a way of life, long tradition, and symbol of liberty and freedom.
3. Keeping firearm provides options, and people want options when the option of calling 911 is not there. This is simple notion of self defense when law enforcement has no legal obligation to provide this service to individuals but only to society as a whole.
4. This country was founded based on fighting tyranny. The civil war was only a short 150 years ago. The right of the poeple to bear arms is to make sure there won't be another tyranny, ever.
So, focus on the motive of killing and stop blaming the guns!
Madness is right...
The madness is the idea that crime can be prevented by banning an object.
And as for this statement:
"1,000,000 Americans have been killed by guns since 1960."
Bullhockey!
Those people weren't killed BY guns, they were killed by PEOPLE and the intent, carelessness or maliciousness of the human operator.
Two thirds of that figure would represent suicides.
Loophole
There is no loophole, Private sales are just that, next thing you know people are going to want private sellers to log into the state website from their house and do a security check before takingong someone cash for that old pistol they are selling.
That's inane. There is a difference between a PRIVATE seller and a COMMERCIAL/business gun seller.
The only loophole is the one in people's minds, keeping them CLOSED.
It's apples and oranges!
The bill would only effect good honest citizens for the most part. Criminals have and always will get the guns they want, anytime they want, anyhow they want. The bad news here is there isn't thing one you can do to stop it! The Virginia Tech monster fell through the cracks, that weren't supposed to be there. Would he have gotten a gun anyhow if he couldn't buy one? You bet.
Libertarian Group
Hmmm, I'd thought the libertarian group would have had a comment on this issue.
paranoid people
A motor vehicle can be used in the commission of a violent crime. Why do we not require background checks on private motor vehicle sales as well? Oh and baseball bats can be used in the commission of a violent crime as well ... hmm what else: knives, pencils, bleach, acid, chains, axes, chainsaws
Talk about paranoid. Just because an object can be used for evil does not make the object itself evil. I think I read about someone being murdered by being bludgeoned by a frozen leg of lamb ... should we outlaw frozen cuts of meat or just do background checks on meat consumers?
speaking of paranoid
It seems to me the gun advocates are the ones who are paranoid.
When you can't leave the house without carrying a gun then that spells paranoid to me.
question
Chrisd, did you learn that stuff in NRA school?
Marx University?
Did you learn your philosophy from the school of Marx? Collectivism ignores and completely removes personal responsibility, until Socialism takes hold. Then personal responsibility is enforced at the point of a bullet. Remember, no nation accepted Socialist collectivism willingly. They were coerced by the those who were in power, and incidentally those in power were the only people that were allowed to own guns.
Before we start calling each other lobbyists for special interest groups, we should examine our own agenda and words. Enjoy your introspect.
ironic
Its ironic that this vote happened right after another "law abiding citizen" just murdered eight people. The madness continues.