Like many others, I have some reservations about the mandating of background checks for all gun sales, including ones within a family. While its important to keep guns out of the hands of truly dangerous people, the background check system needs to be fair, and reasonable. It needs to work for farm families, far away from the near big city, and also those who live in a metropolitan-area. It also needs to protect an individuals’ right to bear arms to protect himself and his family from an attack by those wishing to harm them.
They Have to Work for Rural Residents and Shouldn’t Be Burdensome
If two private individuals want to sell firearms, they should be allowed to do as such. In the era of the Internet, a person should be able to do a check of the government’s prohibited persons list, for no cost. If a person comes back clean, they can print the certificate up, and be required to hold the certificate for 10 years. If a person loses the certificate of sale, they should be subject to a $500 fine. This would keep honest people from accidentally selling firearms to those who are disqualified — and provide an criminal prosecution option for when a person knowingly violates background check provisions.
Federal Government Should Only Regulate Firearms in Interstate Trade
It’s not at all clear where the constitutional powers are given to Congress to regulate private sales, between two individuals within a state. In contrast, Congress could push the states to pass stronger background checks for intrastate commerce of firearms, but they can’t create a federal law that requires such a thing.
Background Checks Should Be Fair and Reasonable
If you are going to require background checks, then the list of disqualifers should be clear, and the list of people who are disqualified should be public knowledge. As Bill of Rights makes the second amendment a fundamental right, the reasons for being disqualified should be extremely limited, and narrowly targeted to avoid imminent harm to others. Banning felons, who have not had their rights restored, or those are mentally ill and pose an immediate danger to public, makes sense. But others who have shown reasonably good behavior, and are not posing an immediate and real threat of violence, should have the right to own firearms for self defense.
State Senator Malcolm A. Smith arranged payments to get on the ballot of the New York City mayoral race, according to federal prosecutors. Mr. Smith, a Democrat, wanted to run as a Republican, and needed approval from Republican leaders. A criminal complaint detailed transactions that led to the arrests of six officials.
I usually dread shopping in stores. Trying on clothes is tedious, and sometimes completing the actual purchase is, too. Retailers like to ask for all sorts of information as they’re ringing up your merchandise, like your e-mail address and ZIP code. I just want to pay and be on my way, and they give me the third degree.
A Cuomo administration source is flatly denying the governor’s claim that his new anti-gun SAFE Act was carefully drafted, saying the governor himself wasn’t even aware of some provisions when it was hastily enacted into law.“The governor thought the limit on the size of [gun] magazines would only apply to assault-style rifles, not to handguns,’’ said the source.“That’s why there’s the big problem now with handguns, among other things in the statute.’’The legal sale of virtually all semiautomatic handguns will soon be impossible because Cuomo’s law limits the size of bullet-holding magazines to seven shots, virtually none of which are manufactured for sale.“Much of what’s in the law was drafted by people connected to Mayor Bloomberg and the Brady Center, not by the governor’s staff,” the source said. “That’s why there are so many problems with it.’’
Like the renowned wizard he so much resembles, Gov. Andrew Cuomo is a great and powerful man.
I believe he has the power to change the meaning of words. He must have, otherwise what’s been coming out of his mouth this last week would be remarkably close to arrogant gibberish. And that can’t be right.
Guns and ammo are selling briskly these days, and that means weapons makers are hiring. Some manufacturers are scrambling to find enough workers.Mike Weddle, head of maintenance at Dynamic Research Technologies, an ammunition manufacturer in Albany, Mo., says he is adding 10 new hires to his staff of 35. DRTs machine operators make between $10 and $17 an hour — a healthy paycheck in a region where its tough to find a job and the cost of living is relatively low.
Ten years ago this Tuesday, the U.S. invaded Iraq, and by any count — and there have been many — the toll has been devastating.
So far, about 4,400 U.S. troops and more than 100,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed, and the combined costs of the war come to an astounding $2 trillion, including future commitments like veteran care.