Obama clueless on how gun sales really work

Wed. March 17, 2011, Tom Knighton, United Liberty

Over the weekend, President Obama ran an op-ed about strengthening background checks, especially after the shooting in Tuscon.  I understand the sentiment, but it’s also clear that President Obama is clueless as to how gun sales really work in this nation.  It’s also obvious that he’s still in unicorn land when it comes to the reality of guns.

For example, he says:

I’m willing to bet that responsible, law-abiding gun owners agree that we should be able to keep an irresponsible, law-breaking few – dangerous criminals and fugitives, for example – from getting their hands on a gun in the first place.

If President Obama meant to say that dangerous people shouldn’t be able to get their hands on guns, then most would agree.  However, most would also tell the President that it is impossible to keep guns out of the hands of criminals.  They will get their guns one way or another.  You can not keep a dangerous person from getting their hands on a dangerous instrument.
However, he offers what he thinks are common-sense proposals.  Not all of them are bad either.

First, we should begin by enforcing laws that are already on the books. The National Instant Criminal Background Check System is the filter that’s supposed to stop the wrong people from getting their hands on a gun. Bipartisan legislation four years ago was supposed to strengthen this system, but it hasn’t been properly implemented. It relies on data supplied by states – but that data is often incomplete and inadequate. We must do better.

OK, I can agree with this in principle.  Strengthen the system is definitely the best way to go.  However, it wouldn’t have prevented Jared Loughner from buying his gun, because he met none of the disqualifying criteria.  He was weird, and that was about it.
Not all of them are as easy to digest though:

Second, we should in fact reward the states that provide the best data – and therefore do the most to protect our citizens.

Reward how?  I mean, we’re freaking broke.  Without discussion of what these rewards entail, this is meaningless.

Third, we should make the system faster and nimbler. We should provide an instant, accurate, comprehensive and consistent system for background checks to sellers who want to do the right thing, and make sure that criminals can’t escape it.

First, quite acting like there are all these gun dealers who aren’t “doing the right thing”.  They all run the background checks if they don’t want to risk going to jail…provided they have a Federal Firearms License, or FFL.  That makes them a dealer.  Otherwise, they’re just some guy with a bunch of guns who’s no different than a private citizen.

Every single FFL dealer I know follows the law, whether they agree with it or not.  The implication that there’s a significant segment who doesn’t is beyond idiotic.

Second, one of the primary problems with the system is that when someone tries to buy a gun illegally, there’s no enforcement.  These people have committed a crime and, whether you agree with it or not, should be arrested.  They aren’t though, and that’s part of the problem.  It also ties into his first point.

Yes, many conservatives and libertarians will gnash their teeth at the idea of President Obama talking about guns.  I’m not real crazy about it myself, because I don’t trust him not to go beyond his proposals in this particular op-ed.  However, he needs to understand the realities of guns and how they are sold.

http://www.unitedliberty.org/articles/7833-obama-clueless-on-how-gun-sales-really-work