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SecularMotion

(7,981 posts) Tue Mar 12, 2013, 12:24 PM Mar 2013

Senate Panel Approves Two Gun Measures

Source: NY Times

WASHINGTON — The Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday passed two measures designed to curb gun violence, and the bills are now headed to the Senate floor for a full vote. The committee postponed a vote on the most contentious measure — a proposed reinstatement of the assault weapons ban — because its sponsor, Senator Dianne Feinstein of California was not present at the committee’s meeting.

The first measure, which would expand background checks to private gun sales, passed the committee 10 to 8, with no Republican on the committee voting for its passage. Another bill, offered by Senator Barbara Boxer of California, enjoyed more bipartisan support.

That measure renewed a grant program to help schools improve their security procedures though for a 10-year period, and increased the financing to $40 million per year from $30 million. It creates a Department of Justice and Department of Education task force to develop advisory school safety guidelines. It passed 14 to 4; the nays were all Republicans.

The committee approved a measure last week that would make the practice of illegally buying a gun for someone else — known as a straw purchase — a felony, and increase penalties for the crime. The vote was significant because it attracted the support of one Republican — Senator Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, the most senior Republican on the committee — signaling that the measure may well succeed in the full Senate later this spring.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/13/us/politics/senate-panel-likely-to-vote-on-gun-measure.html?hp&_r=0

15 replies

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Senate Panel Approves Two Gun Measures (Original Post) SecularMotion Mar 2013 OP

A straw purchase is ALREADY a felony. AtheistCrusader Mar 2013 #1

There is a difference SecularMotion Mar 2013 #2

It is already a felony to lie on the ATF form 4473, specifically for this issue. AtheistCrusader Mar 2013 #4

I think this is excessive and unConstitutional askeptic Mar 2013 #8

care to elaborate, or did you just want to be recognized as a unique and beautiful snowflake? frylock Mar 2013 #9

LOL Robb Mar 2013 #13

They would be feeding their own voters into the prison industrial complex. nt onehandle Mar 2013 #3

AWB is proving to be an excellent feint. Robb Mar 2013 #5

So now the AWB is just a feint? hack89 Mar 2013 #6

Rope a dope! rdharma Mar 2013 #7

You mean all those gun haters banging on here about the urgent need for one were insincere? friendly_iconoclast Mar 2013 #10

"We have always been at war with Eastasia" friendly_iconoclast Mar 2013 #12

Message auto-removed gbwells Mar 2013 #11

The devil is in the details. ManiacJoe Mar 2013 #14

Support Crepuscular Mar 2013 #15

AtheistCrusader

(33,982 posts)

1. A straw purchase is ALREADY a felony.

Reply to SecularMotion (Original post)

Tue Mar 12, 2013, 12:52 PM

Mar 2013

Increasing the severity of that felony, and adding penalties can't hurt though.

Edit: I'm also kind of surprised that Republicans didn't vote for that too. One would think they'd like feeding more people into the prison industrial complex. They must have been confused by their talking points sheets.

SecularMotion

(7,981 posts)

2. There is a difference

Reply to AtheistCrusader (Reply #1)

Tue Mar 12, 2013, 01:01 PM

Mar 2013

A "straw purchase" happens when a person who can pass a gun-purchase background check fills out the necessary paperwork to legally acquire a firearm on behalf of a "prohibited purchaser." A person can be barred from owning a firearm because of a criminal record, having been involuntarily committed for mental illness, or drug use.

The bill would define the straw purchase itself as a federal crime for buyer and seller. Now prosecutors can charge a person buying a gun on behalf of someone else with making false statements - stating that you are the intended owner when the true owner is someone else - on federal firearm sales forms. This carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison or as much as $250,000 in fines.

The legislation is needed, however, because it would make the actual transaction - and the participants' actions - a federal crime. The possible sentence would be upped to 15 years in prison, or up to 25 years if the straw buyer had cause to believe the weapon would be used in a violent crime.

http://azstarnet.com/news/opinion/editorial/us-should-make-straw-purchases-of-guns-a-felony/article_a2231c48-d678-5f39-8c45-a0840c27464b.html

AtheistCrusader

(33,982 posts)

4. It is already a felony to lie on the ATF form 4473, specifically for this issue.

Reply to SecularMotion (Reply #2)

Tue Mar 12, 2013, 01:09 PM

Mar 2013

Raising the penalty is great, but that's all it does. Doesn't matter what Arizona's penalty is, the ATF 4473 is a federal form, lying on it (it is an affidavit, you attest to your eligibility, and that you are NOT purchasing it for someone else) is a felony right now, today, in all 50 states.

Top of page 2: http://www.atf.gov/forms/download/atf-f-4473-1.pdf

So this takes the penalty from 10 years max sentence to 15 years, compounded to 25 if the buyer knows the weapon would be used in a violent crime. Cool. Otherwise, changing the 'crime' from lying on the form, to the transaction itself doesn't change the nature of the crime. It's still a felony, today. Right now. All 50 states.

Article wasn't clear on the knowingly selling part, but if the max sentence is really 2.5 years, that should be cranked up.

askeptic

(478 posts)

8. I think this is excessive and unConstitutional

Reply to SecularMotion (Reply #2)

Tue Mar 12, 2013, 02:13 PM

Mar 2013

But I'm not sure if I'm allowed to have a different viewpoint than everyone else -- seems like these threads demand compliance with the groupthink being posted

frylock

(34,825 posts)

9. care to elaborate, or did you just want to be recognized as a unique and beautiful snowflake?

Reply to askeptic (Reply #8)

Tue Mar 12, 2013, 03:25 PM

Mar 2013

Robb

(39,665 posts)

13. LOL

Reply to frylock (Reply #9)

Wed Mar 13, 2013, 04:56 PM

Mar 2013

onehandle

(51,122 posts)

3. They would be feeding their own voters into the prison industrial complex. nt

Reply to AtheistCrusader (Reply #1)

Tue Mar 12, 2013, 01:03 PM

Mar 2013

Robb

(39,665 posts)

5. AWB is proving to be an excellent feint.

Reply to SecularMotion (Original post)

Tue Mar 12, 2013, 01:14 PM

Mar 2013

Worked in Colorado, and appears to be working federally.

hack89

(39,171 posts)

6. So now the AWB is just a feint?

Reply to Robb (Reply #5)

Tue Mar 12, 2013, 01:23 PM

Mar 2013

LOL

rdharma

(6,057 posts)

7. Rope a dope!

Reply to Robb (Reply #5)

Tue Mar 12, 2013, 01:42 PM

Mar 2013

friendly_iconoclast

(15,333 posts)

10. You mean all those gun haters banging on here about the urgent need for one were insincere?

Reply to Robb (Reply #5)

Tue Mar 12, 2013, 05:18 PM

Mar 2013

Color me unsurprised. I mean, I always knew you lot were mendacious- but that's a refreshingly candid
admission all the same...

friendly_iconoclast

(15,333 posts)

12. "We have always been at war with Eastasia"

Reply to Robb (Reply #5)

Wed Mar 13, 2013, 01:10 PM

Mar 2013

Response to SecularMotion (Original post)

gbwells Message auto-removed

ManiacJoe

(10,136 posts)

14. The devil is in the details.

Reply to SecularMotion (Original post)

Wed Mar 13, 2013, 07:03 PM

Mar 2013

S.374 - universal background checks: Requires all transfers to go through FFLs so that the NICS checks are done. Does not open the NICS checks to the private sellers.

Crepuscular

(1,057 posts)

15. Support

Reply to SecularMotion (Original post)

Wed Mar 13, 2013, 07:09 PM

Mar 2013

I'd support both these measures. Di Fi's resurrected assault weapons ban? Not so much, it will do absolutely nothing to curb gun violence.

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