U.S.A. –-(Ammoland.com)- While the establishment media is now portraying President Donald Trump as “backing away” from earlier promises that he would consider “very meaningful background checks” as part of a new strategy to deal with mass shootings, mentioned only in passing, in coverage by the New York Times and others, is a fact that about which the press seems reticent.
On Sunday, the president reminded reporters, “People don’t realize we have very strong background checks right now.”
The Daily Beast buried that comment ten paragraphs into its story about the president’s remarks, while the NY Times put it in the third paragraph.
The president’s observation could be the result of reported telephone conversations Trump and the White House had with gun rights leaders Wayne LaPierre at the National Rifle Association and Alan Gottlieb at the Second Amendment Foundation and Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms. Those conversations came in the wake of shootings in Texas and Ohio earlier this month.
But there appears to be a hard-to-kill myth that a high number of gun sales occur without background checks, and that such checks might prevent the kinds of incidents that happened recently. The press tends to ignore revelations by authorities that guns involved in these tragedies were purchased legally, as the firearms recovered in Texas, Ohio and one week earlier, in California, were. Likewise, the guns used by the Las Vegas mass shooter, and other high-profile killers, were also purchased legally.
An exception would have been the Sandy Hook murderer, who killed his mother and took her legally-purchased guns to commit his mass mayhem. He thus avoided any background check. Or the Springfield, Ore., shooter who murdered his parents before taking his father’s legally-purchased guns to Thurston High School two decades ago.
Criminals, on the other hand, ignore the background check requirement. As underscored by the incident in Philadelphia where a convicted criminal allegedly had firearms with which he shot at police, and emphasized by SAF's Gottlieb in a prepared statement to the press, gun control laws routinely fail their intended purpose.
The Washington Post Fact Checker has put the lie to claims by such notables as former President Barack Obama (2013) and more recently Sen. Bernie Sanders (back in February) that 40 percent of gun sales involve no background checks. In Sanders’ case, the newspaper poked at the aging presidential hopeful by headlining the article with the notation that he had resurrected “a ‘zombie’ claim on gun sales without background checks.”
But a look at the monthly FBI report on its raw data shows that millions of background checks have been initiated just this year and that since the system went online, more than 320.5 million background checks have been conducted by the National Instant Check System (NICS). While not all of those signify a completed firearms transaction, it is evidence that the country does conduct background checks. If the system needs improvement, that’s a consideration, but the implication of repeatedly demanding “expanded background checks” following a mass shooting tragedy is that the killers got their guns without such a check, and the facts in these cases suggest otherwise.
Trump is now being criticized by the NY Times for having “echoed the standard response to mass shootings delivered by the N.R.A.” about the need to “focus on the mental problems of the gunmen rather than how they were able to obtain their guns.”
But that’s disingenuous at best because if the killers in these incidents purchased their firearms legally, there is nowhere to go with that narrative. They cleared background checks.
By reminding reporters that there are strong background checks already and that people don’t realize it, the president just might have undercut one of the main demands now on the table from the gun prohibition lobby.
It does raise the question: Do most Americans understand that there is a background check system in place and that it has been working for more than 20 years?
And by stating the obvious—as the president reportedly did Aug. 18 when he told reporters, “I don’t want people to forget that this is a mental health problem. I don’t want them to forget that, because it is. It’s a mental health problem.”—he shifts the conversation away from such things as gun bans, “universal background checks” and other proposals that, according to critics, only erode the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens.
The Daily Beast reported, “that Democrats remain willing to work with Trump to reach a legislative compromise on guns.” Second Amendment activists question how there can be a “compromise” on what many see as infringements on a constitutionally-protected fundamental right.
So, when Congress returns next month and takes up more gun control measures, it may be up to their gun-owning constituents to remind them about the president’s comment.
About Dave Workman
Dave Workman is a senior editor at TheGunMag.com and Liberty Park Press, author of multiple books on the Right to Keep & Bear Arms and formerly an NRA-certified firearms instructor.
There are OVER 20,000 Anti-Second Amendment, Anti-Constitutional laws on the books now. The problem IS “mental health”. IF a person IS WANTON to harm other innocent people, all the laws on the books mean NOTHING. Institute National Carry law so GOOD PEOPLE with a gun can STOP a BAD MAN with a gun.
The article and news reports claim that Trump was “influenced” by the NRA. Well, I don’t know what the NRA told him but I know what was contained in the two messages I sent to him via the Whitehouse.gov/contact site. I am sure that there were many thousands of other concerned citizens who also shared their thoughts with the President on this subject. The ball is in his court.
What if we allow the average citizen access to criminal records in the NICS system so that they can do a background check on the person they want to make a private transfer to ?
@USA…How about we all get access to NICS , then if we all log in several times a day , how long do you think it would take to crash the system ??
@Usa, None of my plans have anything to do with keeping tyranny alive. What are you talking about?
@usa
24and7 is a madman, and he has threatened people here on ammoland now multiple times, even bragging as to how he has killed people in the past.
That is the difference between him and you. You make some insane posts, and then some that are factual. 24and7 is just a nutcase plain and simple.
So,.. all the letters, cards, phone calls. memberships ,donations, emails and grassroots organizing to stop infringements on the local level for the past 40 years count for nothing ?
I had no idea that proposing a hypothetical question would negate all that and render me far from pro 2A.
Would you suggest that I immediately cease all these activities since I don’t meet up to your expectations ?
Sounds like Oldvet understood where I was going , He was able to complete the thought.
I sometimes pose questions in an effort to stimulate others to think.
It doesn’t always work.
Some of the people here can be a little enthusiastic about their opinions. I’m as pro 2A as they come and even I’ve been disparaged for my opinion. Stick around, we’re all still family here and we all love freedom.
Thank You Operator Z for the supportive words. I remember in my youth that I was also quite strident. There was not a topic that I couldn’t turn into an argument supporting the 2nd. Eventually I realized I was putting people off, and actually hurting the cause and myself.. Most people engage each other here for communication not personal attacks. Those with some maturity have the wisdom to realize others lacking maturity will not show any respect. We know that a young person so desperate for attention may respond after every post, setting us all straight and getting the last… Read more »
Read today’s Arbalest Quarrel thread and it’s comments..
USA says “The left is not anti gun and are armed to the teeth in my state”
Antifa anyone ?
@Op, yes, it is so.
JOIN GOA ! THE ONLY NO COMPROMISE GUN LOBBY IN WASHINGTON !
Unfortunately things are going to get a lot worse and if a Democrat wins we are totally screwed. Trump may not the best but he is all we have.
@Gomezaddams51 So you are saying you are willing to be led around by the nose hairs to support a bad candidate because you don’t want to do the work to put in a good one? It is for that reason that we have many turncoats in the Republican party right now. I’d be interested to know who gave you the thumbs up. This is why people get called sheep, because even if it is ultimately destructive to themselves, they will still blindly follow whatever it is that they view as a shepherd even into their own demise. They don’t have… Read more »
Well said, Revelator.
@Rev, What do you propose? Like it or not these are our only two options. Trump or a Democrap. They have us by the short and curlys.
Unfortunately we have to deal with what we have. Frivolous posts will not solve anything either, even when points of view are valid. When the Republican primaries in 2015-16, DJT was not even considered a viable candidate. I certainly wasn’t impressed, and there was some Pro-2A candidates that had a record to support it. So what to do. We knew Hillary’s position on 2A, Trump was questionable. But now the Democrats are down right serious about banning our guns, ours, not THEIR’s. I had no choice but to vote for Rick Scott here in FL even tough he signed gun… Read more »
@kenW, When you write frivolous do you mean the light hearted meaning of at the word. Because a little air in the tires makes the ride more pleasant.
@Wild Bill
Light hearted or not, it wont matter if gun control comes from democrats that frighten KenW, or as he admits the guy he helped put in office. If both get you the same result but you still allow yourself to be led around by the nose hairs, then such a person is not one who deserves to be called an American.
@Op, what you have written also applies to all the Congressional elections. We can not suffer any more libtards in Congress. Restore the Republic.
@Operator Z “If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen.” ~Samuel Adams The only way things will ever change is if we make the lemmings take a loss when they demand they have their way. If you play Eucher, this would be equivalent to them calling for a loner hand with three… Read more »
I still question Trump’s motives on the 2nd Amendment. He’s already banned bump stocks with a stroke of a pen/administrative edict through the ATF. (I don’t have a bump stock and don’t want one but any freedom lost is one freedom too many.) His past comments show that he supported the Clinton ban. His recent comments show him willing to put our rights up for negotiation. There are laws and regulations already in effect that would stop mentally ill people from buying guns. Many of these laws and regulations have not been followed. We don’t need more laws restricting law… Read more »
@ED…Hopefully he realizes that passing more gun control would be political suicide.
If not before the election after, he might well hear from all of us to impeach him so Pense would be put in office .
@Ed DJT just made the comment on TV ” a lot of the people that put me where I am are strong gun supporters “
@Ed, Trump did not issue an executive order on bump stocks. There is no such thing as a presidential edict. The issue was resolved by BATFE going through the Administrative Procedures Act process and re-writing a definition. The re-writing of Congress’s definition was beyond agency authority. Thus BATFE’s action is being challenged in fed. court, and will be overturned. Then we will be back to bump stocks. Pretty clever.
Please note: no political careers were harmed in the production of this farce.
Every one of the 30,000 gun laws passed the anti-self defense league said our streets will be safer!..we said, If you outlaw guns only outlaws will have them..One can look at Chicago or the U.S Virgin Islands to see who was right!
@free, and look at any city bigger than a small town to find the same evidence. Restore the Republic.
Oh, but gun control does work it takes guns out of law abiding citizens hands so that we who obey the laws get killed. Furthermore, it assists criminals. One excellent example is Gun free zones.
There has never been a restrictive gun law passed that effected anyone other then law abiding citizens. Last time I checked no law abiding citizen has ever mass murdered other citizens. Criminals do however, but they also do NOT obey laws either. Consequently, the dilemma the gun grabbers find themselves in is how do they pass a law criminals will obey. Just as if that was really their goal. The answer there is they don’t want to. That fact is that is what they are going to be using to confiscate all the guns. Make no mistake about it the… Read more »
My question goes along with you USA – Where are the cries for repeal? All three gun laws have been screwed through the process and driven by the media (enemedia). Prohibition was bad for the country and was repealed – time for these counter constitutional laws to go the same way. The bloomberg soros pelosi shumer (None deserve capitol letters) consortium pays the media to put their garbage forward. Time for that to end as well. Buying legislation is not something to be tolerated at all. Our government is as corrupt as any third world nation….. democrats see to that… Read more »
@Zond, the cries for repeal come not from we common men who trust government. The challenge to the NFA is coming from GOA. GOA is challenging the NFA on substantive due process grounds.
@Usa, The GCA will be repealed by a Congress and President that we have not identified, yet. Or eliminated by a S. Ct. that has not been staffed, yet. Our current situation does not mean that revocation will not get done. Restore the Republic!
Speaking of guns that were sold without background checks the ones that were cleared for sale by Obama and Holder certainly killed people…two Federal agents and God alone knows how
many people in Mexico and elsewhere. Still waiting patiently for consequences.
@Morrigan,still Holder or anyone else has been held accountable for Fast & Furious. Why ?
We need all Republicans that claim to be pro 2A making noise. If they were half as vocal as the Dems on anti 2A, we would have half a chance.
I know the MSM doesn’t want to cooperate, they need to demand equal time.
Glad to hear the Pres sort of back the 2A. We need a lot more than that Donald.
The true success of his presidency will be all the judges that were confirmed. I hope RBG kicks the bucket or retires out soon. Maybe we’ll get a 3rd right leaning pIck for the SCOTUS.
Judges, yes. Remember this: If HRC was POTUS Barack Obama and Eric Holder might be on the SCOTUS.
And if the pilgrims had shot a skunk instead of a turkey it might have changed thanksgiving.
@KenW and Rev, in both cases we be right and truly fu$&ed. Who wants the first piece of either. Yuck.
@OpZ, And that is exactly where we come in. DJT can not drain the legislative swamp, only we can. Trump needs enough Senators to support his appointments. Trump needs a majority in the House so that the Constitution haters can not block his efforts to help ordinary Americans. Restore the Republic!
@Wild Bill
Not just a majority. They had a majority for two years and didn’t do jack.
We need a Constitutional majority, men and women who will always stand on principle. That is the one and only case for cloning, to make 1000 copies of Mike Lee.
So why doesnt the NRA and John Lott have a sit down with the president and verse him on the real statistics so that when he speaks on national news he can throw out the real numbers unlike his predecessor that continued and still continues to throw out US as number one murder country, when in reality we come out closer to 48th and without a few blocks from Baltimore, Detroit, Chicago, and New Orleans I think we drop to 200+ or so. And if the NRA would give statistics of how many of the killings would have been stopped… Read more »
Because, the man leading the NRA and whispering in trumps ear isn’t concerned with actually working to fully restore the second amendment. Just like National Right to life, or NRL. There are people at the top who see it as a money making and electioneering effort. To keep the gravy train running, you don’t fix a problem, you try to control it as the NRA and NRL have done, always begging for more dollars, and the need for more seats in the house and senate. The NRA has not been working for you for years. Dont forget they are behind… Read more »
PS~ I’m in a state where the NRL worked against a heartbeat bill because they felt it might make courts less friendly nationally.
If President Trump (and the ATF) would make current background checks free or very low cost, for private sales (without mandating it) , a lot of people may do them voluntarily… gun dealers get pissed off (when you don’t buy their guns) so they charge a ridiculous amount of money for private transfers.. as much as $35 to $60 PER GUN transaction.. All FFL dealers should be given some type of incentive to do free background checks… A lot of people that sell their guns need money for one reason or another.. So they are not going to pay for… Read more »
man that’s never going to happen.. but maybe some gun owners will do something to lift some of the heat off of us..otherwise it will eventually get much worse..
@31, Background checks do not prevent a nut job or felon from getting their former weapons. If the government sent out a list of persons that can not buy weapons, like the government used to send out wanted posters, then that might be effective. Background checks presume that you are guilty until the government says you are not. Background checks establish a list of people that have weapons for later seizure warrants. Background checks are insufficient for their stated purpose, ergo the background check portion of the GCA of 1968 lacks substantive due process. As to cleaning up the mess:… Read more »
If I had my way about it I would take them on a Public Square and blow their brains out myself.. I was looking for a voluntary solution instead of a mandated one.. either we keep our private sales available or we simply lose them (which is what they are attempting to do).. I would rather keep them… and if a massive amount of people start voluntarily doing the checks on their own accord, maybe they wouldn’t mess with others that did not.. just a statistical numbers game but the government runs off of statistics..
@31, And I applaud your efforts, but lets place no more burdens on the people. How about this: The various governments publishes lists of people that are precluded from buying a firearm. The individual entry has a name, picture, AKAs, fingerprint, other bio data, and a clear reason why they can not buy a firearm. The vendor voluntarily accesses the published list, and makes his decision.
too complicated. WHY burden ME with looking through a whole long list of probably millions of names? The database of disabilities for firearms purchase already exists. Make it so I cna enter the name, date of birth, cyrrent residence, perhaps last four of SSN, database crunches, spits out “no record found, proceed wiht the sale. Simple as that. But +THEY want to know who is buying which gun…. to make a list, eventually. THAT is their goal, don’t be fooled. The background check is about the PERSON. Keep it that way. No need for any info on which gun I… Read more »
Studies show that there is no good reason for criminal background checks because those prohibited persons are not getting their firearm legally. Most of their firearms a obtained (and no matter how a prohibited person obtains a firearm, due to their status, any method is illegal) from theft, black market, and family and friends (aka straw purchase, also illegal). A couple of percent get them at gun shows, but the vast majority of firearms sold at gun shows are sold by FFL dealers, and therefore, all those sales are required to have background checks. I attend gun shows regularly as… Read more »
Pay close attention to who’s going to start getting arrested.. now the federal government is going after people who sell firearms to Mass shooters and criminals (whether they knew it or not).. so your argument is flawed background checks can keep honest people out of jail… I’m simply saying make it voluntary instead of mandatory for Private Sales… make it cheap or make it free…
@31, You write, ” Pay close attention to who’s going to start getting arrested …” That is a prediction of future action. Are you guessing? Just supporting your argument with clever supposition? Or do you know something?
If you know something, then share it.
The are going to start arresting EVERY PERSON that makes a private sale to the wrong person (wittingly or unwittingly) in the near future.. and for people who sell a firearm in a private sale before owning it for one full year..
Except in a few states that bought the Bloomburg kettle of rotten fish, there is no basis in present law to do this. It does not matter what “they” are THINKING about enacting, prohibiting, etc. It ONLY matters what is currently enacted into law. And if I buy a new handgun from Cabelas, try it for two months and decide I don’t like it, but find a friend of mone DOES, there is NO reason I can’t sell it to him, mo BGC, unless we both are in a state where provate sales are prohibited. Either you are making things… Read more »
24and7 is an idiot. He lost a argument a few days back and made sure everyone knew where he had shoved his head.
He was screaming and raving like a lunatic, threating a few people. The guy is 10-ply, big time. Definitely not someone with any credibility to be viewed as a role model on what should be done.
@Rev, Yep, he just wants to be perceived as having inside knowledge.
I do believe you have the situation pegged there.
Yes. A few simple changes to NICS would fix it so anyone can access it. I know most would. when selling a gun. Change it so a prospective selller enters the full legal name, date of birth, state of resudence, then hits “GO”. The system either returns a “PROCEED” or a “DENY”. As an option, add in at least the last four of SSN. The buyer should know under exactlyh what form of his name he is entered into the system, probably go with the name on the social security account. That is permanent and takes legal proceedings to get… Read more »
The first firearm I purchase was a .38 Colt Detective Sp.in ‘72,for either $75 or $85 bucks,can’t remember. There was no b/g check at all ! Paid my cash,out the door. The world wasn’t crazy back then !
@Will, it is a pity that every generation after us does not know what freedom is.
@ Will and Wild Bill I can remember when you could order a gun from Sears or Monkeyward from their catalog. If you were in a bigger hurry, you could walk into the hardware store and buy on. You didn’t have to lock your doors, either. It has come down to people having kids but not raising them and the inclusion of millions of illegals into our country. The fabric of this country has suffered greatly.
@WB,it really is a shame.Bill,you and I have lived long enough to know what freedom really was back in the day. The optimistic side of me really hopes it will return,go full circle,so to say.The pessimistic side of me doesn’t really think so. Everything these days is all about more infringements to our 2A civil rights and freedoms. There a a lot politicians (esp.President Trump)that need to read the 2A,understand it,esp..the last four words,”shall not be infringed” ! Take care my friend.
Will, Wild Bill, and USA…I agree. Sadly, the generations after us (I bought my H&R .25 caliber revolver for $29 in 1971 after I got out of the Army, and I’m still trying to get it back from my daughter!) The Gen-X, Gen Y and Millennials don’t just not appreciate the Constitution but also subscribe to the notions that (1) it should be reinterpreted for today and (2) the government is the best party to handle pretty much everything they don’t want to take responsibility for. And by the way, every time Wayne Lapierre opens his mouth, he hurts gun… Read more »
Not all who are under 50 are lost to the ideas of freedom. I’m 40 and I remember saying the pledge of allegiance everyday in grade school. Nowadays they do not say it.
My flag flys proudly in front of my house. We need to make sure to reach out to the younger folks and let them know what we do even if it seems they don’t listen.
@OpZ, Glad to hear it, brother. Would it shock you to hear of a seven year old boy buying a rifle, by himself, and the only question asked was ” Do you want a box of .22 shells, too?” ?
Would it shock you if thousands of kids all over the country did that?
@Operator Z
I’m a half dozen years behind you, though I don’t say the pledge because my allegiance is to the Constitution of the united states, the only thing above that being my Creator. My flags are most notably the Gadsden and the Culpepper, with the starts and stripes.
@ Browserb46 I read an article by the NY Times that trump had a long telephone call with LaPiere and Wayne convinced him that it wasn’t the gun but the psycho operating the gun. You have to give the NRA credit for this one and NYT for publishing it.
@tomcat Yes, however isn’t it a little bit funny that when Wayne is really sitting in the hot seat and the membership is getting more fed up with him, he has this great photo op all of a sudden to say look how great a defender I am of your rights? Don’t forget, he had a long talk with Trump about Bump stocks too and was all too proud to offer the president suggestions on what to write in his executive proclamation, and signed off on an add advocating for Red Flag laws.. I don’t think credit is due, it… Read more »
@ Rev. My main reason for making this comment was that for once LaPiere said something sensible and the NYT reported without putting a liberal slant on it. Maybe Trump will back off some of this progressive stuff he says.
@tomcat
Knowing Lapierre and his character though, I still have to question his motives.
Did he say the right thing? Sure, but I know his history. If he was stepping down from the NRA tomorrow and still was willing to say that to trump I might give him a little more credit. This aint that time however.
@Tcat, Well, brother, WLP may have said that. Or WLP may have said “We have five million votes that you need, Don!” Or WLP may have said, ” I have five million in a secret slush fund that you need for the election, Don.” I don’t care as WLP finally, finally did something effective to protect gun owners. I suppose that we have to give WLP some modicum of credit, but he still needs to go. On the other hand, DJT talked to SAF, and GOA also maybe they did the convincing. I still think the the NYT lies about… Read more »
@ Wild Bill I saw on the weather map that you have been having triple digit temps. It is hard to get anything done in that heat. We have been in the 90’s and no rain so the 15 inches plus we had is gone. I only made that comment because I thought it might be a positive for a change. I wasn’t defending LaPee or NYT, in fact I didn’t even know NYT wrote the article until I opened it. I did get a personal note from LaPee that said my membership is overdue and I could chose a… Read more »