Have you ever heard one of the liberal/anti-Second Amendment politicians say these words?-- "We need to close this gun show loophole!"
After hearing about this "loophole" in the news media so many times, I actually thought it was real. I was led to believe a person could walk into a gun show and plop down a wad of cash and walk out with any gun they could afford. Well last weekend I went to one of these gun shows and I was dealt a huge shock!
I stood in line for few minutes and then I paid the $5 "suggested donation" with proceeds going to a worthy cause. I turned the corner and walked into the show room area. There were tables setup with guns and gear as far as my eyes could see. I walked up to the nearest table and I was quite lucky as a gun sale taking place! I moved in closer so that I could see the "Gun Show Loophole" in action! I was confused because I saw the customer hand his drivers license and his Nebraska Purchase Permit to the vendor on the other side of the table. Then the vendor pulled out a clipboard with a form on it. The vendor handed the clipboard to the customer and said, "This is a Federal Form 4473 and I need you to complete this."
I was thinking WTF is going on here! Why didn't the buyer and seller use that "gun show loophole"?
Hours later when I got home I googled, "What is this form 4473?" Here is what I learned:
The Form 4473 contains name, address, date of birth, government-issued photo ID, National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) background check transaction number, make/model/serial number of the firearm, and a short federal affidavit stating that the purchaser is eligible to purchase firearms under federal law. Lying on this form is a felony and can be punished by up to five years in prison in addition to fines, even if the transaction is simply denied by the NICS, although prosecutions are rare in the absence of another felony committed with the gun purchased.
The dealer also records all information from the Form 4473 into their "bound-book". A dealer must keep this on file at least 20 years and is required to surrender the log to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) upon retirement from the firearms business. The ATF is allowed to inspect, as well as request a copy of the Form 4473 from the dealer during the course of a criminal investigation. In addition, the sale of two or more handguns to a person in a five-day period must be reported to ATF on Form 3310.4.
Holy Moly! Do the anti-Second Amendment news media folks know about background check and registration stuff? I guess not.
I also learned that that if a gun dealer sets up a table at a gun show he or she must verify the buyer's ID and complete a 4473 form for every gun sale.
Someone call President Obama right now! I don't think he or the other anti-Second Amendment folks know about this yet.
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