The Gun Show Loophole

The Washington Post has an editorial today about Virginia having an opportunity to close the "gun show loophole." I have been to several gun shows in Virginia, as has my wife. We have both purchased guns at gun shows and always went through the exact same process as when we have bought guns in stores. In fact, I have never seen a person at a gun show in the Commonwealth who has purchased a gun without a background check.

Why is it that the anti-gun advocates are so obsessed with the gun show loophole?

They claim 35% of guns purchased at gun shows are purchased from unlicensed dealers. This may be the case, I don't know, but I do know one statistic, only 0.7% of guns used by criminals is obtained at gun shows. The same survey states that 8.3% of guns used by criminals were obtained from retail gun stores. All of the retail purchases needed background checks. Clearly the background check process is not perfect, but there is not a significant flow of guns from gun shows into the hands of criminals.

Virginia Restaurant Concealed Carry Ban

The VCDL reports that Virginia SB 1035 has passed out of committee. This bill would repeal the ban on carrying a concealed handgun in a restaurant that has an ABC license (can serve alcohol on premises). In the report is some quotes that illustrate what is wrong with the reactionary thinking and lack of analysis by many of our politicians.

Senator Marsh took the cake, however. He said that if a concealed handgun permit holder came into a restaurant with the intent to "pop" someone in the restaurant, and the permit holder couldn't find someone to declare that he has a concealed gun, he might just go ahead and kill his victim anyhow, without notifying the restaurant of his concealed gun.

Senator Cuccinelli had fun with that one, saying, "So, Senator Marsh, the permit holder, determined to commit murder, would not do so because he was worried about getting charged with a Class 3 misdemeanor?"

Marsh just sat there with a blank look on his face.

This is an argument that I hear again and again from people wanting to ban guns. If we let people carry guns legally, they'll commit murder. Well folks, I think Senator Cuccinelli has it right, if you are going to commit murder, a couple of misdemeanors won't stop you.

Another example of backwards thinking came from a representative from the Alcoholic Beverage Commission:

We are concerned that this is a public safety issue... What if someone carrying concealed has their gun taken away from the by a drunken customer and used to shoot someone.

Um.... It is currently legal to open carry in a restaurant serving alcohol in Virginia. So people carrying concealed handguns might have them seized by drunks, but people carrying openly won't?

What is wrong with Washington D.C.'s government?

Washington D.C.'s government is a joke. Recently, in the name of cutting down on crime, they decided to restrict access to certain parts of the city to people with a "legitimate reason". Is the "the right of the people peaceably to assemble" a legitimate reason? Does anyone in the D.C. government know what the constitution says?