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Gun show loophole is a political term referring to private sellers at gun shows not being required to perform a background check on private buyers.

Background

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According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, 1968 was the year that Congress passed the law under which modern firearm commerce operates. The law was the Gun Control Act (GCA) and it mandated federal licenses for those "engaged in the business" of selling guns, but not for private parties who sold guns infrequently. Under the GCA, firearm dealers were prohibited from doing business anywhere except the address listed on their Federal Firearms License (FFL).

In 1986, Congress passed the Firearm Owners Protection Act (FOPA), which relaxed controls in the GCA. Licensed firearm dealers were allowed to sell at gun shows. In addition, FOPA made it legal for FFL holders to make private sales, provided the firearm was transferred to the licensee's personal collection at least one year prior to the sale. Hence, when a personal firearm is sold by an FFL holder, no background check is required in accordance with federal law.

In 1996, the Violence Policy Center (VPC) said that an increase in gun shows resulted in "a readily available source of weapons and ammunition for a wide variety of criminals...." Attorney and gun rights advocate Dave Kopel said that singling out guns shows was "the first step toward abolishing all privacy regarding firearms and implementing universal gun registration."

Early efforts

On November 6, 1998, then U.S. president Bill Clinton issued a memorandum for the Secretary of the Treasury and the Attorney General expressing concern about sellers at gun shows not being required to run background checks on potential buyers. He called this a "loophole" and said that it made gun shows prime targets for criminals and gun traffickers. He requested recommendations on what actions the administration should take, including legislation. These offices reported gaps in current law and recommended "extending the Brady Law to 'close the gun show loophole.'" Their report included proposals put forth by United States Attorneys, which included:

1. Allowing only FFLs to sell guns at gun shows so that a background check and a firearms transaction record accompany every transaction;
2. Strengthening the definition of “engaged in the business” by defining the terms with more precision, narrowing the exception for “hobbyists,” and lowering the intent requirement;
3. Limiting the number of private sales permitted by an individual to a specified number per year;
4. Requiring persons who sell guns in the secondary market to comply with the record-keeping requirements that are applicable to FFLs;
5. Requiring all transfers in the secondary market to go through an FFL;
6. Establishing procedures for the orderly liquidation of inventory belonging to FFLs who surrender their license;
7. Requiring registration of non-licensed persons who sell guns;
8. Increasing the punishment for transferring a firearm without a background check as required by the Brady Act;
9. Requiring the gun show promoters to be licensed and maintain an inventory of all the firearms that are sold by FFLs and non-FFLs at a gun show;
10. Requiring that one or more ATF agents be present at every gun show; and
11. Insulating unlicensed vendors from criminal liability if they agree to have purchasers complete a firearms transaction form.

The report said that more than 4,000 gun shows are held in the U.S. annually. It said that between 50 percent and 75 percent of gun show vendors are FFLs and that the "majority of vendors who attend shows sell firearms and associated accessories and other paraphernalia." The report concluded that although most sellers at gun shows are upstanding people, a few corrupt sellers could move a large quantity of firearms into high-risk hands.

After the Columbine High School massacre on April 20, 1999, gun shows and background checks became a focus of national debate in the U.S. Those concerned about the shows believe they are a source of illegally trafficked firearms, both domestically and abroad.

Their efforts included reversing a key feature of the Firearm Owners Protection Act by requiring criminal background checks and purchase records on private sales at gun shows, which, have become prolific in the U.S. since the law's passage in 1986. According to the Council on Foreign Relations and a news report from the The Charlotte Observer posted on the National Center for Policy Analysis' website, gun control advocates maintain that the "gun show loophole" appeared and was codified in the Firearm Owners Protection Act of 1986. The NRA has refuted the assertion that FOPA is a loophole, and contends that the purpose of FOPA was to reduce burdens on gun dealers and record-keeping on gun owners, stating that "To be sure, it`s not a 'loophole,' because FOPA made clear no license is required to make occasional sales, exchanges or purchases of firearms for the enhancement of a personal collection or for a hobby. What some refer to as a 'loophole' is actually federal law."

Those supporting gun shows believe their Second Amendment rights are being jeopardized. Dave Kopel, a gun rights advocate, has said that no proposed federal law would have made any difference in regard to the incident at Columbine since the adults who supplied the weapons were legal purchasers.

On May 27, 1999, Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the National Rifle Association (NRA), testified before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, saying: "We think it is reasonable to provide mandatory, instant criminal background checks for every sale at every gun show. No loopholes anywhere for anyone. That means closing the Hinckley loophole so the records of those adjudicated mentally ill are in the system. This is not new or a change of position or a concession. I have been on the record on this point consistently, from our national meeting in Denver to paid national ads and position papers, to news interviews, and press appearances."

In February 2001, H. Sterling Burnett of the National Center for Policy Analysis said there is no gun show loophole. He cited a National Institute of Justice study released in 1997 reporting that only 2 percent of criminal guns came from gun shows and a U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics report from the same year saying that among federal firearms offenders only 1.7 percent of crime guns were acquired at gun shows.

The Virginia Tech shooting on April 16, 2007 again brought discussion of the gun show loophole to the forefront of U.S. politics. Two weeks later, Virginia governor Tim Kaine signed a law to close the loophole at gun shows within the state. However, Cho (the Virginia Tech shooter) purchased the weapons that he later used during the killings without buying any of them at a gun show, and also after undergoing all required background checks. On February 9, 2007, Cho purchased his first handgun, a .22 caliber Walther P22 semi-automatic pistol, from TGSCOM Inc., a federally licensed firearms dealer based in Green Bay, Wisconsin and the operator of the website through which Cho ordered the gun. TGSCOM Inc. shipped the Walther P22 to JND Pawnbrokers in Blacksburg, Virginia, where Cho completed the legally required background check for the purchase transaction and took possession of the handgun. Cho bought a second handgun, a 9mm Glock 19 semiautomatic pistol, on March 13, 2007 from Roanoke Firearms, a licensed gun dealer located in Roanoke, Virginia.

In 2008, Nicholas J. Johnson of the Fordham University School of Law, wrote:

"Criticisms of the 'gun show loophole' imply that federal regulations allow otherwise prohibited retail purchases ('primary market sales') of firearms at gun shows. This implication is false. The real criticism is leveled at secondary market sales by private citizens."

In 2009, some gun rights supporters challenged federal jurisdiction in intrastate transactions between private parties, which they said exceeded the federal power created by the Commerce Clause. For gun rights supporters there is no "loophole," but legal commerce under the status quo (like book fairs or car shows). In 2010, the NRA said that gun control supporters' objectives are to reduce gun sales and register guns.

Recent developments

After the July 2012 Aurora shooting in Colorado, the October 2012 Azana Spa shootings in Wisconsin, and the December 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut, state and local debates regarding the gun show loophole resumed. The former president of the NRA, David Keene, expressed concern that while tragedies such as these are often exploited by the media and politicians, certain facts are often overlooked. As an example, he said that regulations to close the gun show loophole in Colorado were already in place before the Aurora Shooting occurred, and the suspect had not purchased his guns at a gun show. Likewise, the handgun in the Azana Spa shooting was not purchased at a gun show, but was purchased instead from a private individual, in a legal private sale transaction. Similarly, the Sandy Hook shooter acquired his guns by murdering his mother; they had all been acquired legally by his mother.

In 2013, Garen J. Wintemute, director of the Violence Prevention Research Program at UC Davis wrote, "There is no such loophole in federal law, in the limited sense that the law does not exempt private-party sales at gun shows from regulation that is required elsewhere." Wintemute said, "The fundamental flaw in the gun show loophole proposal is its failure to address the great majority of private-party sales, which occur at other locations and increasingly over the Internet at sites where any non-prohibited person can list firearms for sale and buyers can search for private-party sellers."

Closing the gun show loophole has become part of a larger push for universal background checks to close "federal loopholes on such checks at gun shows and other private sales."

Some gun control advocates now refer to the gun show loophole as the "private sale loophole."

The NRA says that a universal background check system for gun buyers is both impracticable and unnecessary, but an effective instant check system that includes records of the adjudicated mentally ill would prevent potentially dangerous people from getting their hands on firearms.

Legislation

Federal "Gun Show Loophole" bills were introduced in seven consecutive Congresses, in 2001 (H.R. 2377), 2004 (H.R. 3832), 2005 (H.R. 3540), 2007 (H.R. 96), 2009 (H.R. 2324), 2011 (H.R. 591), and 2013 (H.R. 141). None passed.

As of August 2013, 17 U.S. states require background checks at gun shows. Seven states require background checks on all gun sales at gun shows: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, New York, Oregon, and Rhode Island. Four require background checks on all handgun purchases at gun shows: Hawaii, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Six require individuals to obtain a permit that involves a background check to purchase handguns: Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, and North Carolina. The remaining 33 states do not restrict private, intrastate sales of firearms at gun shows in any manner.

See also

• Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act
• Firearm Owners Protection Act
• Gun Show Loophole Closing Act of 2009
• National Firearms Act
• National Instant Criminal Background Check System

References

1. Wintemute, Garen J.; Braga, Anthony A.; Kennedy, David M. (August 5, 2010). "Private-Party Gun Sales, Regulation, and Public Safety". The New England Journal of Medicine. 363 (6). Massachusetts Medical Society: 508–511. doi:10.1056/NEJMp1006326. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
2. ^ "Gun Shows: Brady Checks and Crime Gun Traces" (PDF). atf.gov. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF). January 1999. Retrieved June 27, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |authors= ignored (help)
3. ^ "History of Federal Firearms Laws in the United States Appendix C". justice.gov. Retrieved July 4, 2014. Cite error: The named reference "History-C" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
4. "Gun Shows in America: Tupperware® Parties for Criminals". Violence Policy Center. July 1996. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
5. Kopel, Dave (July 16, 1999). "Gun Shows Under Attack". nraila.org. National Rifle Association of American Institute for Legislative Action. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
6. ^ Clinton, William J. (November 6, 1998). "Memorandum on Preventing Firearms Sales to Prohibited Purchasers" (PDF). gpo.gov.
7. "The debate on gun policies in U.S. and midwest newspapers". Berkeley Media Studies Group. January 1, 2000.
8. National Conference of State Legislatures (June 1, 2000). "Colorado After Columbine The Gun Debate". The Free Library by Farlex. Gale Group.
9. "No Questions Asked: Background Checks, Gun Shows, and Crime" (PDF). Americans for Gun Safety Foundation. April 1, 2001.
10. "Following the Gun" (PDF). Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). June 2000. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 31, 2003.
11. "Firearms Trafficking: U.S. Efforts to Combat Arms Trafficking to Mexico Face Planning and Coordination Challenges" (PDF). gao.gov. United States Government Accountability Office (GAO). June 2009. GAO-09-709. Retrieved June 24, 2014.
12. Olinger, David (February 13, 2000). "Dealers live for gun shows". Denverpost.com. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
13. Baum, Dan (June 8, 2000). "What I saw at the gun show". rollingstone.com. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
14. Jonathan, Masters. "U.S. Gun Policy: Global Comparisons". cfr.org. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
15. Steele, Cameron. "Sheriff Bailey, Chief Monroe: Close gun show loophole". ncpa.org. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
16. "The War on Gun Shows". www.nraila.org. National Rifle Association of America Institute for Legislative Action. January 21, 2010. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
17. ^ Keefe, Mark A. (October 1, 2009). "The Truth About Gun Shows". nraila.org. National Rifle Association of America Institute for Legislative Action. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
18. DeConde, Alexander (2003). "School Shootings and Gun Shows". Gun Violence in America: The Struggle for Control. Northeastern University. p. 277. ISBN 1-55553-592-5. OCLC 249850830. The most bitter opponents of checks and licensing, the NRA and other gun clubs, sounded an alarm heard across the country. It immediately brought a massive response as well as a rise in their membership rolls. As a recruiter explained, the antigun sentiment frightened gun owners who believed their Second Amendment rights were in jeopardy. {{cite book}}: External link in |chapterurl= (help); Unknown parameter |chapterurl= ignored (|chapter-url= suggested) (help)
19. "Gun Shows in America: Tupperware® Parties for Criminals". vpc.org. Violence Policy Center. July 1996. Amend the definition of 'engaged in the business' to close the loophole that allows sales from a personal collection in supposed 'pursuit of a hobby.'
20. Kopel, David. "The Facts about Gun Shows". cato.org. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
21. LaPierre, Wayne (May 27, 1999). "Statement of Wayne LaPierre, Executive Vice President, National Rifle Association". commdocs.house.gov (Testimony). Washington, D.C. Retrieved July 4, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |event= ignored (help)
22. Burnett, H. Sterling (February 23, 2001). "The Gun Show 'Loophole:' More Gun Control Disguised as Crime Control". ncpa.org. National Center for Policy Analysis.
23. "One year after tragedy, debate rages over solutions". USA Today. Associated Press. April 12, 2008. Retrieved January 27, 2015.
24. Urbina, Ian (May 1, 2007). "Virginia Ends a Loophole in Gun Laws". New York Times. Retrieved January 27, 2015.
25. ^ Ross, B. & Esposito, R. (April 17, 2007). "First Gun Bought March 13; No 'Spur of the Moment' Crime". ABC News. Retrieved September 16, 2008.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
26. WKBT. "Read statement from Green Bay gun dealer". WKBT. Retrieved September 13, 2014.
27. "Shooter had guns more than 1 month before Va. shootings". Retrieved September 24, 2008.
28. Turque, Bill; Horwitz, Sari (April 20, 2007). "Kaine Gives Panel Latitude to Probe Campus Killings". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 16, 2008.
29. Bauer, Scott (April 19, 2007). "Green Bay-based Web site sold gun to Virginia Tech shooter".
30. CBS News (April 17, 2007). "Gun Used In Rampage Traced To Roanoke Shop". WJZ-13 Baltimore. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved September 24, 2008.
31. Johnson, Nicholas J. (January 13, 2009). "Imagining Gun Control in America: Understanding the Remainder Problem": 837–891. Retrieved June 24, 2014. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
32. McCullagh, Declan (June 16, 2009). "Gun Rights Groups Plan State-By-State Revolt". CBS Interactive.
33. Cox, Chris W. (January 21, 2010). "The War on Gun Shows". nraila.org. National Rifle Association of America Institute for Legislative Action. Retrieved July 6, 2014.
34. Burns, Dan (January 14, 2013). "Aurora shooting victim's mother grieves with Newtown families". Reuters. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
35. Davis, Stephen; Polcyn, Bryan (November 7, 2013). "Guns for sale: No background check required". fox6now.com. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
36. Fuchs, Erin (December 19, 2012). "There's A Gaping Loophole In US Gun Laws". businessinsider.com. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
37. Kesling, Ben (December 24, 2012). "Fear of New Restrictions Drives Crowds to Gun Shows". Wall Street Journal. Contributions to article by Jess Bravin. Dow Jones & Company. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
38. Keene, David. "It's Impossible To Legislate Against Evil Or Madness". nrapublications.org. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
39. Ramde, Ramde (October 22, 2012). "Wis. shooting brings call for new law on guns". The Seattle Times. The seller did nothing illegal, however, because Wisconsin law only requires background checks and a 48-hour waiting period from gun dealers, not from private individuals.
40. ^ Wintemute, Garen J. (2013). "Comprehensive Background Checks for Firearm Sales: Evidence from Gun Shows". In Webster, Daniel W.; Vernick, Jon S. (eds.). Reducing Gun Violence in America. Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 9781421411101. Retrieved July 1, 2014. {{cite book}}: External link in |chapterurl= (help); Unknown parameter |chapterurl= ignored (|chapter-url= suggested) (help)
41. Martinez, Michael (January 28, 2013). "'Universal background check:' What does it mean?". CNN US. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
42. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/21/private-gun-sales-sandy-hook_n_2347420.html Huffington Post
43. "Universal Background Checks & the Private Sale Loophole Policy Summary". Smart Gun Laws. Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. August 21, 2013. Retrieved January 28, 2015.
44. Sherfinski, David (January 31, 2013). "NRA head wary on background checks, wants better instant check system". Washington Times. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
45. Rucker, Philip (August 5, 2013). "Study finds vast online marketplace for guns without background checks". Washington Post. Retrieved June 24, 2014.
46. "2008 Brady Campaign State Scorecard" (PDF). West Virginia Public Broadcasting.
47. "Brady Background Checks: Gun Show Loophole: Frequently Asked questions". September 27, 2009. Archived from the original on September 27, 2009.
48. DeLuca, Matthew (April 10, 2013). "Background checks for guns: What you need to know". NBC News. u.s. news. Retrieved July 1, 2014.

Further reading

• Cooper, Michael; Schmidt, Michael S.; Luo, Michael (April 10, 2013). "Loopholes in Gun Laws Allow Buyers to Skirt Checks". New York Times.
• Kessler, Glenn (January 21, 2013). "The stale claim that 40 percent of gun sales lack background checks". Washington Post (blog).

• Articles to be merged from January 2015
• Gun politics in the United States
• United States federal firearms legislation