At least here's one gun-control measure that makes sense:
Straw purchases are those where one person fills out the legal forms and makes the purchase for another. The ruse is illegal and often used by convicted felons and others who cannot legally possess firearms. In addition to a possible 10-year prison sentence, violators also face a possible fine of up to $250,000.
It's nice to see someone trying to disarm the predators instead of their potential victims for a change.
Comments
Disarming the predators.....
Whatta concept.
Makes good sense.
About damn time.
Since firearms purchases are becoming databased (serial numbers, purchaser, etc), it should make it easier to track those of "questionable repute".
Unfortunately, there will always be some that will manage to slip between the cracks in this legislation.
But one less gun in the WRONG hands is always a good thing. One gun dealer (Don's Guns) in Indy has the SECOND WORST record for crimes that entail the use of a firearm purchased at HIS store.
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060318/NEWS02/603180489
I recall that woman here in Fort Wayne who was busted after she (straw) purchased several .40 caliber handguns (I think it was from H&H...my stomping grounds), and stated that it was for HER PERSONAL USE....um...yeah, right, OK, fine.
Maybe if she DIDN'T buy them ALL AT ONCE, no red flag would go up...'ya think?
Let's do the math here...
1) Not a member of any gun club or shooting range.
2) She had more than a few felonious "friends".
3) She DID live on the south side - best reason to legally have ANY firearm (or more) of ANY caliber...it's the "Barbarians at the gate" thing you know.
4) She didn't have a job that required her to carry a firearm such as a courier or jeweler.
5) She was most likely white, upper class, drove a Mercedes and lived in a $300K home in a beautiful development....NOT!
Hmm.....seems things add up fine to me.
Must be all those "gangstas" from ILLINOIS stopping over to just say "hi"....
(As Bill Cosby would say: "rrrrrrrriiiiiiiiight")!
B.G.
Bob - "Since firearms purchases are becoming databased (serial numbers, purchaser, etc)"
Is this new in Indiana ? I don't live there, but not sure that's a good thing. Collections of private information tend to be used at some point for the wrong things - several here come to mind. Like the bad guys getting into it and knowing who has a firearm and who doesn't - and the government getting into it to politely request all your firearms because the UN thinks it's the thing to do, ...
Larry:
Good point.
I'd hate to see some bureaucratic subcommittee want my guns because some OTHER person told them to take them away...while all the time criminals are (still) getting them any way they can.
I just view this crackdown on the straw purchasers as a sign that "maybe" criminals are finding it a tad harder to secure firearms (yes, I know they will always find some way).
The bad part is that home burglaries will probably go UP (while these perps go a lookin' for guns). Holding store owners accountable will most assuredly make all of us come under more scrutiny,
Having CRIMINALS in databases makes perfect sense, though. I just hope they use them as a baseline for sifting out the "wheat" from the "chaff", and not to use that against the law-abiding citizen in any way, shape or form.
We'll just have to wait and see (crosses fingers).
;)
B.G.
Larry wrote:
"Like the bad guys getting into it and knowing who has a firearm and who doesn't - and the government getting into it to politely request all your firearms because the UN thinks it's the thing to do."
Larry, I would say you repeated yourself. If the government starts confiscating firearms, they ARE the bad guys. There are a lot of bad guys in the blue states. Our job is not only to block criminals' access, it is also to keep our gun rights out of "the wrong hands." Usually, the bad guys are indeed going to be any and all liberals in government. They have no intention of stopping with a database of convicted felons.
One only needs to look at California. Liberals databased everybody and every firearm by political decree, then started telling people what they couldn't possess (always, always the guns well suited to defense). They now tell the People what they have to get rid of (but can't even sell, transfer or ship out), and order everyone to turn in all but the least effective weapons to the cops without compensation. And they'd like to spread that disease over the whole country.
Anyway, straw purchases are not necessary so long as there is a large used market. Only the most greedy gun dealer is going to knowingly sell to a disqualified party, and that dealer does deserve what he/she gets as a result. But dealers of my acquaintance to do anything that might conceivably jeopardize their federal dealer license, and they do not take any risks.
In the vast majority of cases, if a straw purchase does take place, the dealer won't be aware of the buyer's intentions. It will be the qualified purchaser who converts a gun to a prohibited party who has broken the law, as well as the illegal recipient of course.
This is one reason why Congress passed the bill protecting gun dealers and manufacturers from meritless lawsuits. Only when the dealer conspires with the buyer should he or she be a liable party in a straw purchase.