Gun Sales: Will The "Loophole" Close?

60 Minutes: Fear Of Tighter Gun Control May Be Contributing To Big Rise In Gun Sales

(CBS)  Virginia is a main source of guns that end up in crimes in several northern states where gun controls are stricter.

"You probably can walk this parking lot and find people selling guns out of the trunk of their vehicles," Massengill told Stahl.

And that's legal. "There are no restrictions in Virginia against private sales as far as background checks. And again, that amazes me that in this day and time we would not want to know, as sellers, whom we're selling to," he said.

But imposing any restrictions on gun sales in Virginia is nearly impossible.

Consider what happened when a bill was introduced to close just the gun show loophole following the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre.

With overwhelming public support, it was sure to pass, given the outrage over the worst shooting in modern U.S. history. Thirty-two students and teachers were shot and killed by a mentally disturbed student, Seung-Hui Cho.

Lily Habtu, who was shot in the jaw and survived, says the loophole must be closed. "Convicted felons can walk into a gun show. The mentally ill can go into a gun show and purchase whatever they want," she told Stahl. "Without a background check."

"Why not make it uniform and have everybody go through the background check?" Stahl asked Philip Van Cleave.

"Well, how about making it uniform and have nobody go through the background check?" he replied. The Second Amendment doesn't say, 'You can get a gun if you go through a background check.'"

Lily Habtu and several of the Virginia Tech family members lobbied to close the gun show loophole. They created Facebook groups and YouTube clips to rally for their cause.

Omar Samaha, whose 18-year-old sister Reema was killed that day, testified before Virginia lawmakers that he went to the Richmond gun show one day, and bought a dozen weapons in an hour, including an assault rifle and something else: "A Glock that was stronger than the one used to kill my sister."

He said he never had to show any identification.

And asked if he was asked for identification, Samaha said, "I was asked but I refused."

"So what happened?" Stahl asked.

"They either sold me the gun still or they said, 'Pay me 15 more dollars and I'll go without looking at your ID," he replied.

"Here's one of the big arguments: Cho didn't get the guns from a gun show, and he did show his ID. There was a background check on him," Stahl pointed out.

"But the next Cho will go to a gun show because it's that simple. It's just like buying a candy bar. It really is," Samaha said.

But if one side thinks the lesson of the Virginia Tech massacre is that we need more gun control, the other side - the gun lobby - says it proves we need less.

Philip Van Cleave says the ban on guns on college campuses should be lifted. "If just one student 21 or older had a permit and had been armed that day - I mean the first time a police officer showed up, they didn't even fire a shot. He saw the police coming, he killed himself. It was over. The first time somebody would've been able to show him resistance, it would've stopped him. I'm convinced he would've killed himself and probably saved a whole bunch of lives at that point."

"Arming all those young people…" Stahl said.

"Wonder who's fighting in Iraq for us right now," Van Cleave replied.

"But you know, you could have a lot of them be like Cho," Stahl said.

"If they do, there will be plenty of other 21, 22, 23 and older people there to make sure that he doesn't get very far," Van Cleave argued.

[lithvak]

Feinstein will eventually be in prison or hang from the end of a rope for her crimes against humanity! It's only a matter of time, if she lives that long.

[jhenry3107]

I beleive this new legislation is a big win for consumers who is ready to buy a new car with fuel efficient models

Jhenry
Blogger
www.cashforclunkersfacts.info
http://www.cashforclunkersfacts.info

[Left-neck]

Right-wing gun owners are going to vote Pepublican anyway. The real swing vote is "Left-Necks, defined by Joe Bageant as "Progressive gun owners who change their own oil". I doubt that Nancy Pelosi changes her own oil.

[gunownerdan]

"How a politician stands on the Second Amendment tells you how he or she views you as an individual ... as a trustworthy and productive citizen, or as part of an unruly crowd that needs to be lorded over, controlled, supervised, and taken care of."
- Dr. Suzanna Gratia Hupp, Killeen Texas Luby's massacre survivor

www.A-HUMAN-RIGHT.com

[Wolf1944]

Over and over on this thread, I have seen the Internet myth about how Australia banned guns 12 months ago and saw a big increase in gun murders.

Australia instituted a buy-back program for certain types of guns 13 years ago, and it has seen a decline in murders of all kinds over that period. In 2007 the Aussies posted a record low number of murders.

See http://www.wesh.com/news/20017057/detail.html

[BuickCJ1]

If law-abiding citizens who have been backgrounded for carry permits have successfully passed the check, then they should be permitted to do so. There are not as many police around in some sectors of the nation and local law enforcement expects solid citizens to help when needed.

There are too many illegal gun toting bad guys around. These are the ones who tend to make the news and reality shows. The good folks generally act as a preventive measure in some communities which see little or no crime as the word is out to the bad guys.

Just remember why the Japanese dropped their plans to invade the U.S. in 1942. Admiral Yamamoto (who lived in the U.S. and attended Harvard) knew that many Americans were armed and would not stand for a foreign invasion. An armed society is a polite society. Sadly the bad guys mess it up for everyone else.

[Wolf1944]

The story about Admiral Yamamoto is only a rumor. It's discussed at http://www.wesh.com/news/20017057/detail.html

[joewger]

Law Abiding Gun owners dont commit crimes with any kind of assault weapon, its innercity criminals that do. Punish all criminals severely! Gun owners want you to. But that would be discrimination, so slap them on the wrist and put them back on the street to commit more crime and eventually kill someone. Then blame the Gun Owners and punish them by banning guns when you socialists and 60 minute pansies know you are the problem with this country and your biased stories.

[joewger]

All I can say to Antigun people is this. Gun owners want you to give anyone a death sentence who commits murder with a gun. The fact is that inner cities commit the most crime in this country and the criminals that possess these guns are given a slap on the wrist by a corrupt legal system and corrupt judges and lawyers out to make money. So criminals will always obtain guns no matter how strict or what kind are out there. Punishing legal gun owners is the norm and punishing criminals is discrimination. People with safes that are law abiding wont worry about their illegitmate kids killing someone over a pair of sneakers or robbing someone of their social security check. Legal Gun owners dont kill people, remember that. They protect their families from illegal ones with any weapon they choose to under the freedom to do so by the constitution of the United States.

[gastonlaw]

I wonder where Ms. Stahl's fact checker was when she spoke this line:

"AKs [rifles] and other firearms, once forbidden under the ban, now fill entire tables at gun shows; you can buy them from private sellers without a background check."

AK's, AR's, SKS's and the like (with some cosmetic modifications) *were* available for sale during the Clinton-era ban. It's an historical fact.

Automatic firearms (machine guns) have been regulated since the Firearms Act of 1934. It is that class of firearms that the "Drug Cartels" use in their trade. Police officers also have those weapons at their disposal -- check with your local SWAT team.

I understand and accept that the producers of this piece have a policy objective to pursue but please, please get your facts right.

After all, what would Uncle Walter say?

[Tvelong]

I served my country from 1964-1969 and only spent 2.5 of those years in American..the rest of the time I was on foreign soil defending our rights. Our country was built on violence..like it or not. But the other countries I served in had the violence and no way to defend themselves. I came home and then served 40 years as a police officer. I would like to think I have seen enough to tell you that if men and women do not stand up for what is right they will lose thier right to stand up. I'll keep my freedom peacefuly or...whatever it takes. God Bless America