Be respectful of others' views and choices.
 #86517  by David
 
From The Hill:
http://thehill.com/opinion/op-ed/303199 ... n-gun-laws


Let ATF do its job on gun laws
By Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) and Diane Randall - 06/03/13 07:02 PM ET

In the current debate about guns in America, one point most everyone agrees on is the United States should enforce existing gun laws. Yet Congress has put handcuffs on the very government agency charged with investigating gun trafficking and stopping the flow of guns to criminals, individuals with mental illness and people who might hurt themselves with guns.

One common-sense step that Congress could take right away would be to take off these handcuffs and provide the federal government with the same kind of tools to share information and investigate gun trafficking that the government has for most other criminal investigations.

One way our nation can make progress in addressing gun violence is to identify the areas where we can move forward quickly while debating the broader issues. That is why Rep. Charles B. Rangel (D-N.Y.) introduced the “Enforce Existing Gun Laws Act” in April of this year and why the 70-year-old Quaker lobby in the public interest that Diane Randall directs supports this legislation.

Here’s the problem we’re trying to solve in a nutshell: There are 100,000 licensed firearms dealers in the United States and an estimated 300 million guns. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the federal agency responsible for enforcing gun laws and limiting gun trafficking, has just 2,500 agents and 800 inspectors. At its current capacity, the ATF is only able to inspect each licensed firearms dealer once every 10 years.

Perhaps more importantly, restrictions put in place by Congress severely limit the federal government’s ability to identify, investigate and prosecute illegal firearms transactions. Congress could lift these restrictions very quickly by passing the Enforce Existing Gun Laws Act.

The common-sense reforms in this legislation would allow the ATF to consolidate and centralize gun dealer records so that when a crime is committed or when gun trafficking is discovered, the ATF and other government agencies can quickly trace the gun’s purchase history and identify the criminals involved and the mistakes that may have been made in the approval of purchases.

The legislation would also require gun dealers to inventory their guns once a year and allow the ATF to conduct repeated inspections of gun dealers when there is a pattern of suspicious behavior. Current law limits the ATF to one routine inspection of each gun dealer per year.

The patchwork of congressional restrictions on investigating gun trafficking was inserted at many different points over the past few years, and today it appears less than coherent, and in several places, counterproductive. For instance, one measure approved by Congress prohibits the ATF, the agency responsible for enforcing gun laws, from drawing “broad conclusions about firearms-related crimes” in official reports.

These changes are not dramatic or radical. These reforms would have virtually no impact on the vast majority of gun owners in our country who are law abiding citizens who regularly submit information for background checks and follow the laws on the sale of guns.

But these changes would be immensely helpful in tracking gun traffickers and other criminals. We know from law enforcement officials that the most successful investigations of crimes don’t happen from breaking down doors, gun drawn charges into homes or high-speed car chases. Much of what our law enforcement officials do day-in and day-out is the patient, dedicated and painstakingly difficult job of following up leads and tracking the chain of criminal activity.

Now is the time for Congress to empower the ATF and give those dedicated law enforcement professionals the resources they need to do their job and protect our nation. We will be working together to pass this legislation over the next few months. Citizens who care about effective law enforcement should ask their elected officials to support this legislation.
 #86519  by cslade454
 
I have not read the law but from what I read here it seems to me that this would result in a computer data base of all gun purchases from FLLs. Do we really want the government to know who has purchase a gun instantly from any key board? FFLs also record the kind of gun itself so the government could target people that buy hand guns or assault rifles and ignore sxs o/u shotgun buyers.
 #86521  by David
 
One should assume that with Rangel involved, nothing in the blog posting, or any other media release, is an accurate portrayal of the bill. My guess is that the D's are taking the words from our mouths (enforce existing laws before introducing new ones) and twisting them into some back door form of full blow gun control. When this gets squashed like all the others it will become campaign fodder against the R's, who obviously don't even want the existing laws enforced.
 #86531  by mdak06
 
astro_wanabe wrote:"common-sense"
"gun violence"
The buzzwords alone are enough to tell me this bill was drafted by antis.
True ... although this part:
Rep. Charles Rangel
was also enough.
 #86536  by brich2929
 
mdak06 wrote:
astro_wanabe wrote:"common-sense"
"gun violence"
The buzzwords alone are enough to tell me this bill was drafted by antis.
True ... although this part:
Rep. Charles Rangel
was also enough.

:lol:
 #86543  by MrCoolDale
 
I'm not understanding the concept of passing a bill to ensure laws already on the books are enforced. If those laws already exist, why do we need another one saying to enforce it? That's the epitome of government bureaucracy. How about, instead of drafting this bill, they just say "Do your job." I don't have rules at work that tell me to follow the other rules.

Rule 1: Clean your desk area
Rule 2: Be safe
Rule 3: Go back and actually do Rules 1 & 2

No thank you.
 #86560  by stephpd
 
Yeah, I couldn't get past Rangel's name,either. (why is he still in politics after the skimming scam?)

Why would I put any faith into a representative from NY (SAFE ACT - vote on it before reading it) and all the other anti gun crap that comes out of that anti gun state?






Not all the people, just the politicians.
That would be similar to taking advice from Bloomberg on how to 'control guns'.


Even in this state, and the Bloomberg financing of the anti gun laws. Not one of the bills introduced by the Democrats would have any effect on crime. Yet at the same time restrict my liberty?

No thanks!
 #86603  by Owen
 
MrCoolDale wrote:I don't have rules at work that tell me to follow the other rules.
You should see the rules where I work then. We do have rules that tell you what rules to follow. We just call them "procedures" :roll:

The language here looks like a gun registration scheme:

"this legislation would allow the ATF to consolidate and centralize gun dealer records so that when a crime is committed or when gun trafficking is discovered, the ATF and other government agencies can quickly trace the gun’s purchase history and identify the criminals involved and the mistakes that may have been made in the approval of purchases. "

Yep, it's national registration plain and simple.