A new effort claiming to be a “coalition of stakeholders who represent many perspectives on firearms in America” that is “dedicated to working together to reduce gun harms while respecting the rights of responsible gun owners” is drawing fire from the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF).
Called Bridging the Divide on Firearms Policy, has outlined a set of eight state-level “harm reduction” policies created by a panel that purportedly included both gun rights and gun control advocates. According to a news report written by Larry Keane, NSSF vice president and general counsel, the package includes many proposals and was developed over a year by 23 so-called leaders in “gun violence prevention” and those who supposedly respect gun rights, and framed as “updated versions of familiar gun control concepts.”
“That framing is politically clever,” Keane wrote. “It is also misleading and incomplete. It is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, as the saying goes.”
As Keane explained, the package calls for “stronger state background checks,” and ideas pitched as “wins” for gun owners, including faster checks and a peer-to-peer check tool.
“Here’s the reality: background checks are only as good as the records submitted into the system,” he wrote. “The most direct public safety improvement is ensuring mental health records and other disqualifying records are complete and timely, not adding new layers on lawful transfers. That is exactly why the firearm industry has pushed FixNICS, focused on improving submissions of disqualifying records that already trigger prohibitions under current law. A bipartisan federal law was enacted in 2018 and NSSF has worked in the states to enact 16 state-level FixNICS laws as well.”
Keane further wrote that if the “Bridging” project is sincere, it should start by demanding state compliance with existing reporting duties, measurable performance goals and hold agencies accountable for failure to enter records.
“Otherwise, ‘expanded background checks’ quickly becomes a way to burden lawful commerce while criminals continue to ignore the law,” he said.
Keane’s report goes on to detail other proposals in the “package,” including “stronger oversight for firearms retailers,” who are already heavily regulated by federal law, as well as red-flag laws, safe-storage requirements and other measures.
Ultimately, Keane wrote that if policymakers want progress, the way forward isn’t to “split the difference” by sacrificing constitutional rights for ever-expanding government control over lawful ownership and hoping criminals will cooperate.
“The path forward is to push for stricter enforcement of existing laws, prosecute trafficking and straw purchasing, fix and update record systems and reinforce voluntary safety efforts that already save lives without weakening a right guaranteed by the Constitution,” he concluded. “The so-called Second Amendment advocates taking part in this exercise should have known better. They certainly don’t speak for the firearm industry.”
To read the complete NSSF report, click here. It’s well worth the few minutes it takes to give it a quick study.
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