Senate Committee Passes Gun Trafficking Bill

[shooting4life]

Originally Posted by jwkilgore

"Gun Trafficing" is the selling of weapons that are already illegal.

Currently, the "crime" involved with a straw purchase is when you lie on federal form 4473 just before the background check. Lying on a federal form is a crime, so checking "Y" to 11a (saying you are buying it for yourself and not for anyone else) is a crime. As is checking "N" to the questions about previous felony convictions and your mental state. As it's considered a paperwork crime it is rarely (if ever) prosecuted unless the purchase can be traced to another crime.

This new bill makes it a separate crime with separate punishment. It won't do much good, but it is a worthy add.

My only problem is the timing... the tin-foil-hat types have started running out of room to store their thousands of rounds of ammo so it was starting to show up on shelves again. This development will probably renew the race to stockpile.

So what your saying is the government doesn't arrest people for the current crime, but making it a new crime will get the government to arrest the criminals? Got it.

[An Einnseanair]

Originally Posted by shooting4life

So what your saying is the government doesn't arrest people for the current crime, but making it a new crime will get the government to arrest the criminals? Got it.

No, I'm saying the current "crime" (lying on a federal form) is the same "crime" as when you lie on your tax return by exaggerating the value of that bag of ragged clothes you donated to the Salvation Army. The maximum penalty is 5 years; the maximum realistic penalty is a small fine with no jail time. Prosecution would be almost impossible.

This bill makes it a separate, prosecutable, crime to purchase a gun for someone to use in a crime or for someone you know wouldn't pass a background check. The maximum penalty will be 25 years.

The former is a minor paperwork violation no prosecutor would waste his time on. The latter is a real crime that could put someone in jail for a long time, or else result in a plea deal to put away a bigger fish.

I'm not saying this law is a magic bullet that will end straw purchases, but it may help a little.

[chucksnee]

Originally Posted by 12GO

Nothing like an idiot in Congress backed up by a majority of idiots passing another law on top of laws that ALREADY covers the same thing.

Job security!