I've done a few of these posts and today I'm going to do another one. Today's rip apart is on an article over at the Huffington Post entitled "What President What President Obama Can Do to Reduce Gun Violence". In it John Rosenthal lays out a 7 point plan to "reduce gun violence".
If you want to read the whole article without my commentary, go clicky.
#1 Mandatory criminal background checks for all gun sales
Current Federal law only requires Licensed gun dealers to perform criminal background checks. Consequently in 32 States "private dealers"/individuals can legally sell guns at thousands of annual gun shows, countless flea markets and yard sales, and out of homes, backpacks, car trunks or on street corners without running a background check or asking to see an ID. Only the first gun sale from a "Federally Licensed" gun dealer requires documentation and all "secondary" gun sales are legally allowed to take place without any paperwork or record keeping. As a result, convicted felons and suspected terrorists can and do buy guns simply because there is no background check required or conducted.
The bolded portion is a lie. Every single gun transaction through an FFL requires paperwork. The first, second, third, etc. Every one of them. As far as the "gun" show sales go it is also false. Legitimate dealers at gun shows have to do paperwork as well. Non-dealers can sell FTF (face to face) but if they sell too many they will get arrested for dealing guns without an FFL. They can also get arrested for selling to felons. There are already laws that cover this.
#2 Require responsible and safe gun storage for all firearms unless they are in the owners direct control
Approximately 40% of American homes have at least one firearm. Most guns used in child accidental gun injuries and deaths and teenage suicides come from within the home. Responsible guns owners safely secure their guns -unloaded and locked unless they are in their direct control. Seventeen States have such a safe-storage/Child Access Prevention requirement and all such states have a lower incidence of gun injuries and deaths among children compared to states without such a requirement.
Again the bolded section is false. To John's credit the rest is true though. This is a matter of good parenting vs bad parenting. Also good gun owners vs idiot gun owners. Don't punish the good guys because of the idiots.
#3 Allow Law Enforcement to maintain and share critical "crime-gun" trace data
Current Federal law prohibits the BATF from sharing crime gun trace data even among law enforcement agencies. In 2000 the BATF used crime-gun trace data to determine that just 1% of licensed gun dealers provided 57% of guns used in crime. Instead of supporting law enforcement efforts to identify and arrest illegal gun dealers, the Bush administration made police the enemy of "gun rights", requiring prison sentences for any police official that shares crime-gun trace data with even other law enforcement.
Bolded section is false. Current Federal law prohibits the BATF from sharing crime gun trace data from anyone except law enforcement agencies. There has never been a documented problem with this information being shared across agencies, they do it all the time.
#4 Restore and improve the Federal Ban on Assault Weapons
The 10 year Federal ban on 19 specific military style assault weapons beginning in 1994 was supported by every major US law enforcement organization representing over 450,000 police officers. Although so called assault weapons make up approximately 1% of the US gun stock, statistics clearly show that they are the weapon of choice by gangs, career criminals and terrorist organizations and disproportionately show up in crimes. The Bush administration let the ban expire in 2004 even though the ban resulted in a dramatic 66% reduction in these weapons used in crime over the 10 year period.
You know the drill. First not every law enforcement organization supported it. Those that did a good portion supported it because they got extra funding (money) in the deal. Second they are NOT the weapon of choice for gangs and career criminals. Something smaller, like a handgun is actually the weapon of choice, and usually something cheap like a Bryco or Jennings so they can dump it without being out a lot of cash. Terrorist organizations? 99% of the time they aren't buying from USA FFL gun dealers. Unless Ahmud Hussein Muhammad over in the mountains of Pakistan is making a trip over to the US to buy his guns...not happening.
#5 Repeal the Federal law giving Immunity to the gun industry
In 2007 Congress and the Bush administration enacted legislation prohibiting the ability to sue the gun industry even for negligence and blatantly marketing to criminals. For instance, the Tech 9 semi-automatic pistol, one of the guns used at the Columbine High School massacre, was marketed as "having a finish resistant to fingerprints", the Hertzel 22 cal handgun is marketed as "capable of penetrating 48 layers of soft body armor" and the Barrett 50 cal sniper rifle with a 2 mile range and designed to penetrate steel, is touted as being able to "take down an aircraft with one shot" and they tell you where to put it. Osama bin Laden bought a dozen of these US made Barrett's when fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan! The gun industry makes, markets and sells inherently dangerous product (like automobiles, knives and drugs- all regulated) and they should be held accountable for their actions.
Oh boy. Tech-9. Resists corrosion and oils from fingers, not resists fingerprints. Corrosion and oil is bad. Hertzel 22 cal? The gun doesn't exist and a .22 sure as hell is not going to penetrate 48 layers of body armor. The Barrett 50 cal is not marketed to take down aircraft. That is something the anti-gunners themselves made up. Nobody is going to hit an aircraft flying with a .50 cal with one shot. Nobody. It's not going to happen.
#6 Enact National Consumer Product Safety Commission regulations for firearms
Congress has prohibited the National Consumer Product Safety Commission from oversight of the gun industry. Therefore guns have NO consumer safety, manufacturing or marketing standards for how they are sold. Consequently toy guns and teddy bears have more regulations on how they're made than real guns that result in an average of 34,000 deaths a year in the US. The gun industry flaunts their "freedom" from regulation and continues to make and sell guns without minimal safety features and in some cases knowingly market their deadly products directly to criminals and terrorists without any accountability. Massachusetts, which is home to Smith and Wesson, the nation's largest handgun manufacturer, enacted the first in the nation Consumer Protection regulations for firearms and such oversight had no negative impacts on legitimate gun makers, dealers or buyers in the State.
The NCPSC handles toys and other products (clothing, cribs, etc) for children. Not guns. The NCPSC is also not a full functioning enforcement branch of government. They are an advisory board. Guns are handled by the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) which is a full functioning enforcement branch of the Department of Justice, sister to the FBI and the DEA.
Again the bold is false. The US gun industry does not market directly to criminals and terrorists.
#7 Create incentives for the gun industry to make "personalized guns"
According to gun maker Smith and Wesson, guns could be made with personal recognition technology such that only the intended user could fire the gun. This practical technological solution would save the lives of countless victims of gun violence, accidents and suicides each year. It could also help save the lives of the 17% of police officers killed in the line of duty by a criminal accessing the officer's gun. In fact, in an agreement with the Clinton administration, Smith and Wesson promised to invest a portion of net profits into "personalized gun technology".
Bold is not a lie, but not truthful either. The idea is ahead of our current technology. It can't be done yet. And if it could would be so expensive and problematic even the military wouldn't want it (and they kinda need guns). That's what Smith & Wesson found out with that money they spent on it during the Clinton administration.
So there you have it. Seven more points from the anti-gunners and seven more lies and half truths.
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