One compelling argument for additional gun control has been the claim about a
“gun show loophole.” The president, the vice president, mayors, and members of
Congress repeat the mantra that approximately 40 percent of all gun purchases are
conducted through private sales at gun shows and are not subject to a criminal
background check. One police chief raised concern by saying: “Allowing 40 percent of
those acquiring guns to bypass background check is like allowing 40 percent of airline
passengers to board a plane without going through airport security.”
If there is a loophole, I think we can all agree that we should close it. However,
John G. Malcolm at the Heritage Foundation explains that the claim of 40 percent isn’t
even close to accurate.
Let’s start with basic information. The National Instant Criminal Background
Check System requires that all federal firearms licensees conduct a background check for
all firearms transactions, even if they sell the firearm at a gun show. What about the other
private sales at gun shows?
The 40 percent figure comes from a report by the National Institute of Justice
based on a telephone survey of a small sample size of people who acquired firearms in
1993 and 1994. The first thing to mention is that the survey was taken the year before the
criminal background check system went into effect.
Of the participants, 35.7 percent said they didn’t or “probably” didn’t obtain their
gun from a licensed firearms dealer. Because the margin of error was +/- 6 percentage
points, it was rounded up to 40 percent. It could just as easily have been rounded down
below 30 percent. If you then subtract the people who said they got their gun as a gift,
inheritance, or prize, the number drops to 26.4 percent. The survey goes on to explain
that only 3.9 percent of firearms were purchased at gun shows.
We may need to close a loophole, but proponents of gun control are citing a
statistic that is more than 10 times the actual number.
Hey Kirby love your show wanted to know if the batman shooter bought his weapons legally or not. My Sis is a gun carring Dem. and is onboard for all this foolishness about gun control.Here are some of the other mass shootings of 2012 done with legal weapons. Not sure where she got her info.
Feb. 21: Norcross, Ga.
4 killed, plus shooter
Jeong Soo Paek, 59, a man with a history of violence and who had been asked to leave the family’s spa, returned later in the evening and killed his sisters and their husbands before shooting himself. The gun was purchased legally.
April 2: Oakland
7 killed, 3 injured
Former nursing student One L. Goh, 43, who had dropped out of Oikos University, returned to the school, reportedly pulled an administrator into a nursing classroom, lined up students against the wall and began shooting them. He has pleaded not guilty and awaits trial. Goh purchased the gun legally.
May 30: Seattle
5 killed, plus shooter, 1 injured
Ian Lee Stawicki, 40, who had a history of mental and behavioral problems, was asked by a barista to leave a coffee shop before he stood up and opened fire. He fled and killed himself as police closed in hours later. The guns were purchased legally and Stawicki had a concealed weapons permit.
July 20: Aurora, Colo.
12 killed, 58 injured
Grad student James Eagan Holmes, 24, reportedly entered a mall theater during a midnight showing of “The Dark Knight Rises,” set off gas canisters and opened fire. He awaits trial and has not entered a plea. Holmes bought the guns legally.
Aug. 5: Oak Creek, Wisc.
6 killed, plus shooter, 3 injured
White supremacist Wade Michael Page, 40, walked into a Sikh temple and opened fire just before Sunday services. Police wounded Page, who then fatally shot himself. The gun was purchased legally.
Sept. 27: Minneapolis
6 killed, plus shooter, 3 injured
As Andrew Engeldinger, 36, was being fired from his job at a sign-making company, he pulled out a gun and shot his two managers, the owner, other employees and a UPS driver as he walked around the building before shooting himself. The gun was purchased legally.
Oct. 21: Brookfield, Wisc.
3 killed, plus shooter, 4 injured
Radcliffe Franklin Haughton, 45, a former Marine whose wife had obtained a restraining order against him three days earlier, entered the suburban Milwaukee spa where she worked and shot her and six other women before killing himself. The restraining order made it illegal for Haughton to buy a gun, but he bought it from a private seller so no background check was required and no waiting period was enforced.
Please if you can let me know what you think I know your a busy guy making the best CHRISTian talk show on the air. So if not thats ok too.
Waiting on Christ return David