CitizenBBN
04-17-2013, 06:00 PM
The key amendment vote was today on Manchin/Toomey, the key amendment for passing universal background checks. It was floated as a compromise on the language in the core bill to be voted later. With the amendment defeated it's highly unlikely the main bill passes. this was to make it more palatable and even it didn't pass.
Well technically it did "pass", 54-46, but it took 60 votes. This will pretty much kill it.
The shame is there are some good things we can do to make things better, but none of these proposals hit the mark. This amendment for example had an idea I'd certainly like to consider, expanding checks to "gun shows" and "internet sales". On its face not necessarily a bad thing, we all want to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and lunatics.
The problem as always was in the details. First off, internet sales that require shipping already have to go through dealers and background checks are performed. So what most think of as "internet sales", like ordering a gun on the net through a gun auction site or from a dealer, have always been covered b/c they have to go through a dealer. you haven't been able to basically mail order a gun, even from another individual, since 1968. This was then intended to get at "internet sales" where two guys found each other on the net but conducted the transfer in person. As one Senator pointed out, the way it was worded the office message board in the break room may have made it illegal without a check. It just wasn't clear what constituted an "internet sale" that wasn't already covered.
Re gun shows, they wrote in a horrible statement that all gun show checks had to get priority over other checks, which risked retail sales being shut down on Saturdays, their busiest day as well, b/c the increased capacity requirements weren't addressed in the legislation. So the industry lobbied against it just on those grounds alone, despite the fact that having checks at gun shows would potentially level the playing field some for dealers. it just wasn't well constructed and was going to cause a lot of problems. Even those who may have benefited in theory knew it was going to end badly b/c of the construction.
The goal was to exempt family type transfers. It just wasn't done very well. The main bill includes all of these transfers plus family transfers, so we can safely assume it's DOA. There are some other amendments out there that are supported by majorities, including the industry, but with the main bill dead I assume they're dead too. Nothing will be passed to which they are attached.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/04/17/background-check-plan-in-trouble-as-dems-call-votes-on-gun-bill/
Well technically it did "pass", 54-46, but it took 60 votes. This will pretty much kill it.
The shame is there are some good things we can do to make things better, but none of these proposals hit the mark. This amendment for example had an idea I'd certainly like to consider, expanding checks to "gun shows" and "internet sales". On its face not necessarily a bad thing, we all want to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and lunatics.
The problem as always was in the details. First off, internet sales that require shipping already have to go through dealers and background checks are performed. So what most think of as "internet sales", like ordering a gun on the net through a gun auction site or from a dealer, have always been covered b/c they have to go through a dealer. you haven't been able to basically mail order a gun, even from another individual, since 1968. This was then intended to get at "internet sales" where two guys found each other on the net but conducted the transfer in person. As one Senator pointed out, the way it was worded the office message board in the break room may have made it illegal without a check. It just wasn't clear what constituted an "internet sale" that wasn't already covered.
Re gun shows, they wrote in a horrible statement that all gun show checks had to get priority over other checks, which risked retail sales being shut down on Saturdays, their busiest day as well, b/c the increased capacity requirements weren't addressed in the legislation. So the industry lobbied against it just on those grounds alone, despite the fact that having checks at gun shows would potentially level the playing field some for dealers. it just wasn't well constructed and was going to cause a lot of problems. Even those who may have benefited in theory knew it was going to end badly b/c of the construction.
The goal was to exempt family type transfers. It just wasn't done very well. The main bill includes all of these transfers plus family transfers, so we can safely assume it's DOA. There are some other amendments out there that are supported by majorities, including the industry, but with the main bill dead I assume they're dead too. Nothing will be passed to which they are attached.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/04/17/background-check-plan-in-trouble-as-dems-call-votes-on-gun-bill/