The Senate will begin deliberating new gun laws next week, with the main issue being the expansion of background checks to include any sale
that takes place at a gun show or is advertised in print or online. It would not include private sales, which somewhat defeats the purpose of trying to deny criminals the opportunity to purchase a firearm, Brad Plumer reports for The Washington Post. He notes that a survey from 2004 reported that 39 percent of criminals say they bought a gun from a friend and 37 percent on the street.
New laws "would make it marginally harder for people who are prohibited from owning guns to acquire them," Plumer writes. "But it would still leave the vast majority of private transfers untouched — including many of the most common ways for criminals to get guns."
Another proposal would make "it a federal crime to buy a gun and then give it to someone whom the buyer has 'reasonable cause' to believe is prohibited from owning one," Plumer writes. "The new proposal would increase the penalties, with a maximum of 20 years in prison. Those stiffer sentences, say former law enforcement officials, could end up increasing the number of prosecutions." (Read more)
New laws "would make it marginally harder for people who are prohibited from owning guns to acquire them," Plumer writes. "But it would still leave the vast majority of private transfers untouched — including many of the most common ways for criminals to get guns."
Another proposal would make "it a federal crime to buy a gun and then give it to someone whom the buyer has 'reasonable cause' to believe is prohibited from owning one," Plumer writes. "The new proposal would increase the penalties, with a maximum of 20 years in prison. Those stiffer sentences, say former law enforcement officials, could end up increasing the number of prosecutions." (Read more)
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