Steven Mace
02-08-2002, 08:40 PM
Friday, February 08, 2002 - 12:00 a.m. Pacific
Rural vote may doom bill on gun-show 'loophole'
Autumn Koepp
Seattle Times Olympia bureau
OLYMPIA — Supporters of a bill to require background checks of all buyers at gun shows had hoped to capitalize on Democratic control of the Legislature this session.
However, lawmakers said yesterday that the fate of the legislation is uncertain — partly because of opposition from rural Democrats.
At a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting yesterday, gun-control advocates argued the proposed law would help block criminals' access to weapons.
But gun-rights groups said the measure would put unnecessary restrictions on those who buy from unlicensed dealers.
The proposed bill calls for closing a legal "loophole" that allows unlicensed, private vendors to sell firearms at gun shows without conducting background checks.
The Judiciary Committee was not scheduled to vote on the measure yesterday. A similar measure failed to get out of the House Judiciary Committee last year.
Sen. Adam Kline, D-Seattle, Senate Judiciary Committee chairman, said if there were a vote in the Legislature this session, it could fall along urban and rural lines.
Sen. Tim Sheldon, D-Potlach, Mason County, said more gun-control laws would not be popular in his rural district north of Olympia. "I've seen these shows, and there are fairly responsible people there," he said. "I'm not inclined to buy in on more gun control."
Federally licensed firearms dealers — including those who operate at gun shows — must perform background checks on anyone who purchases a firearm. For handgun buyers, state law also requires a five-day waiting period.
But people who make occasional sales at gun shows aren't considered dealers and can sell handguns with neither a background check nor a waiting period.
The proposed measure, backed by Washington CeaseFire, would allow unlicensed dealers to participate in gun shows, such as those held at fairgrounds. But they would need to conduct background checks and route their sales through a federally licensed dealer for record-keeping. Failure to do so would be a gross misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $5,000 fine.
"Because that loophole exists, we believe that there is a greater likelihood that guns could get into the wrong hands," said Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, D-Seattle, sponsor of Senate Bill 6689.
Joe Waldron, a lobbyist for the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, and for Washington Arms Collectors, said the measure would not prevent criminals from getting guns.
Less than 1 percent of inmates serving time in state prisons on gun-related crimes said they obtained their guns from gun shows, according to a 1997 federal survey. That compared with 39.2 percent who got them from street or illegal sources, according to the survey by the U.S. Department of Justice.
"Why are we expending all this political capital for less than 1 percent of the problem?" Waldron asked.
But Gerald Costello, a Pierce County prosecutor, pointed out that Larry Shandola was convicted of murder with a shotgun bought at a gun show. Waldron countered that the show's promoter and the seller helped link the gun to Shandola, who had no criminal record.
Kline, a co-sponsor of the bill, said added costs and other requirements for gun-show background checks are a small price to pay for the proposed law's benefits.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/134401732_gunbill08m.html
Steve Mace
Rural vote may doom bill on gun-show 'loophole'
Autumn Koepp
Seattle Times Olympia bureau
OLYMPIA — Supporters of a bill to require background checks of all buyers at gun shows had hoped to capitalize on Democratic control of the Legislature this session.
However, lawmakers said yesterday that the fate of the legislation is uncertain — partly because of opposition from rural Democrats.
At a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting yesterday, gun-control advocates argued the proposed law would help block criminals' access to weapons.
But gun-rights groups said the measure would put unnecessary restrictions on those who buy from unlicensed dealers.
The proposed bill calls for closing a legal "loophole" that allows unlicensed, private vendors to sell firearms at gun shows without conducting background checks.
The Judiciary Committee was not scheduled to vote on the measure yesterday. A similar measure failed to get out of the House Judiciary Committee last year.
Sen. Adam Kline, D-Seattle, Senate Judiciary Committee chairman, said if there were a vote in the Legislature this session, it could fall along urban and rural lines.
Sen. Tim Sheldon, D-Potlach, Mason County, said more gun-control laws would not be popular in his rural district north of Olympia. "I've seen these shows, and there are fairly responsible people there," he said. "I'm not inclined to buy in on more gun control."
Federally licensed firearms dealers — including those who operate at gun shows — must perform background checks on anyone who purchases a firearm. For handgun buyers, state law also requires a five-day waiting period.
But people who make occasional sales at gun shows aren't considered dealers and can sell handguns with neither a background check nor a waiting period.
The proposed measure, backed by Washington CeaseFire, would allow unlicensed dealers to participate in gun shows, such as those held at fairgrounds. But they would need to conduct background checks and route their sales through a federally licensed dealer for record-keeping. Failure to do so would be a gross misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $5,000 fine.
"Because that loophole exists, we believe that there is a greater likelihood that guns could get into the wrong hands," said Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, D-Seattle, sponsor of Senate Bill 6689.
Joe Waldron, a lobbyist for the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, and for Washington Arms Collectors, said the measure would not prevent criminals from getting guns.
Less than 1 percent of inmates serving time in state prisons on gun-related crimes said they obtained their guns from gun shows, according to a 1997 federal survey. That compared with 39.2 percent who got them from street or illegal sources, according to the survey by the U.S. Department of Justice.
"Why are we expending all this political capital for less than 1 percent of the problem?" Waldron asked.
But Gerald Costello, a Pierce County prosecutor, pointed out that Larry Shandola was convicted of murder with a shotgun bought at a gun show. Waldron countered that the show's promoter and the seller helped link the gun to Shandola, who had no criminal record.
Kline, a co-sponsor of the bill, said added costs and other requirements for gun-show background checks are a small price to pay for the proposed law's benefits.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/134401732_gunbill08m.html
Steve Mace