by RobertNashville » Tue Apr 19, 2011 11:41 am
Only a year or so ago, I argued on this very forum that forbidding gun sales as "gun shows" without background checks would be a good thing. However, after more thought and more information I now realize how truly worthless the background check process is (as are virtually all "gun control" laws and regulations). That said and putting aside for the moment the simple fact that no free citizen should need government "permission" to sell his/her private property to another private party; this perhaps might make sense if background checks were actually effective in keeping firearms out of the hands of criminals, but they are not effective.
Even the BATF says that the primary sources of guns used in crimes are such things as straw purchases, disreputable FFL dealers and other such activities that (very) effectively circumvent the background system...then, of course, there is the problem of weapons stolen by criminals and then kept and used in future crimes or sold illegally.
Attempting to force more people thorough a system that already doesn't work could only make sense to someone with little to no sense and will only, as with virtually all "gun laws", impact the law-abiding while leaving the criminals free continue as always.
I wonder if this country, and more specifically, perhaps well-intentioned but nevertheless clueless legislators will ever start focusing on the actual problem (crime and criminals) rather than focusing on the tools they use to ply their trade???