The January 1999 report said that more than 4,000 gun shows are held in the U.S. annually.[39]:1 Also, between 50 and 75 percent of gun show vendors hold a Federal Firearms License, and the "majority of vendors who attend shows sell firearms, associated accessories, and other paraphernalia."[39]:4 The report concluded that although most sellers at gun shows are upstanding people, a few corrupt sellers could move a large quantity of firearms into high-risk hands.[39]:17 They stated that there were gaps in current law and recommended "extending the Brady Law to 'close the gun show loophole.'"[40]
In 2009 the U.S. Government Accountability Office published a report citing that many firearms trafficked to Mexico may be purchased through these types of private transactions, by individuals who may want to avoid background checks and records of their firearms purchases.[50][n 4]Proposals put forth by United States Attorneys, which were never enacted, include:[39]:17
- Allowing only FFL holders to sell guns at gun shows, so a background check and a firearms transaction record accompany every transaction
- Strengthening the definition of "engaged in the business" by defining the terms with more precision, narrowing the exception for "hobbyists," and lowering the intent requirement
- Limiting the number of individual private sales to a specified number per year
- Requiring persons who sell guns in the secondary market to comply with the record-keeping requirements applicable to Federal Firearms License holders
- Requiring all transfers in the secondary market to go through a Federal Firearms License holder
- Establishing procedures for the orderly liquidation of inventory belonging to FFL holders who surrender their license
- Requiring registration of non-licensed persons who sell guns
- Increasing the punishment for transferring a firearm without a background check, as required by the Brady Act
- Requiring gun show promoters to be licensed, maintaining an inventory of all the firearms that are sold by FFL holders and non-licensed sellers at gun shows
- Requiring one or more ATF agents be present at every gun show
- Insulating unlicensed vendors from criminal liability if they agree to have purchasers complete a firearms transaction form
Executive branch[edit]
On November 6, 1998, U.S. President Bill Clinton issued a memorandum for the Secretary of the Treasury and the Attorney General expressing concern about sellers at gun shows not being required to run background checks on potential buyers.[52] He called this absence a "loophole" and said that it made gun shows prime targets for criminals and gun traffickers. He requested recommendations on what actions the administration should take, including legislation.[39][52]
During his campaign and presidency, President George W. Bush endorsed the idea of background checks at gun shows. Bush's position was that the gun show loophole should be closed by federal legislation since the gun show loophole was created by previous federal legislation.[53][54][55]President Bush ordered an investigation by the U.S. Departments of Health, Education, and Justice in the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings in order to make recommendations on ways the federal government can prevent such tragedies. On January 8, 2008 he signed the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 (NIAA) into law.[56] Goals and objectives that the NIAA sought to address included:
At the beginning of 2013, President Barack Obama outlined proposals regarding new gun control legislation asking congress to close the gun show loophole by requiring background checks for all firearm sales.[58][59][60] Closing the gun show loophole became part of a larger push for universal background checks to close "federal loopholes on such checks at gun shows and other private sales."[61]
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_show_loophole
