Want to buy a gun online? You will undergo a background check. Federal law mandates a buyer utilize a local dealer to conduct a background check. If no local FFL is given, there’s no sale. A Google search turns up 20-plus instances of people arrested for bypassing dealers and selling guns on social media.
I’ve been to a gun show. People selling firearms conducted checks on prospective buyers. If that booth didn’t have a laptop, they borrowed one or used the federal 800-number. I asked if anyone knew of a show not requiring background checks in Washington or Oregon. The reply was laughter. The much-vaunted “gun show loophole” is a farce.
So what does Initiative 594 accomplish? Every time a gun changes hands — instructor to student, cop to wife — a background check would be required. It extends the 5-day wait on a handgun to 10 days. Felons wouldn’t register a handgun; they’d get arrested. Only the law-abiding would register, but what offense have the law-abiding committed to require such attention? Exercising a right?
Who supports 594? Bill Gates, Michael Bloomberg, Paul Allen. Who is against it? The Washington Council of Police and Sheriffs organization. I’d trust the boys in blue over any billionaire. Vote “no” on I-594.
