Another gun law?

By Andrew Ehinger

Full disclosure here. I don't own a gun. I almost did once - but decided against it in the end. But suffice to say I am very comfortable around them. As a child I went through the NRA's Light Rifle Sport Shooting Course, achieving the rank of Sharpshooter Bar 9. I have been hunting, and even fired some pretty sophisticated military weapons, including The Mark 19 Automatic Grenade Launcher (here's a interesting video of it in action) with some Long Island Marine Reservists. So I like to think I know a thing or two about guns.

A few weeks ago Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy (D) Mineola introduced new legislation on Capital Hill to eliminate what she calls is a loophole in gun laws. Did you know that even though a felon can not legally buy a firearm, he/she can work in a gun store? McCarthy says gun store workers don't get any sort of federal background checks. Her legislation HR 6676 will require gun store employees to go through the same background check as someone who is purchasing a handgun.

Not surprisingly some gun store owners feel this is just another gun law that chips away at the Second Amendment. Store owners are required to pass a federal criminal background for their dealer license. But when it comes to their employees, many local municipalities require background checks and report employees lists to the federal government already. Also they add most people who work at gun stores are gun owners themselves and have already gone though background checks.

So what's the point of this bill? McCarthy says in other parts of the country where gun laws are not as strict as in New York, there are lots of people with questionable records that work with or around guns. She just wants those who sell guns, like in big sporting good stores or small "mom & pop" shops, to be checked. She adds the checks shouldn't be an inconvenience, because stores already have to do checks on customers when they purchase a gun. Most places even have machines to do instant checks.

What do you think?

 

Comments

[Paul]

Temptation is a friend of mines, it's a friend of everyone. Why would anybody be against any law that makes life safer is beyond me. Unless they have something to hide. Where there's a gun present, the temptation to use it is also present - case in point the so-call modern police Dept. of NYC, it seems they love using their guns for just about any situations that I remember years ago they would not have.

[Robert A. Riegl]

I guess it's just time for Carolyn to stick her head into the air and do something. The biggest ignoramus and do-nothing, single issue "Congresswoman", the "puppet", etc. I do however agree that the backgrounds of gun store employees should have a "clean" background. After all we who have been "sanctified" in Nassau County pay an awful lot of money to be able to own and shoot a pistol. The scrutiny we come under when applying for a license is something I feel that those not covered by the Federal Firearms Licensee rules should also be carefully investigated and "cleared" for this job.