The leader of a popular Westmoreland County rap group was wounded Saturday night at a party celebrating the release of a new album."A fight broke out and a whole lot of people just started shooting. I'm not sure if they were aiming at me or if I got hit by a stray bullet," Jamaal "Shoo" Dickerson said yesterday from his room at Mary Washington Hospital.
"A whole lot of people just started shooting...." This wasn't about a deranged killer (Cho) who slipped through the cracks in the mental health system....it was a gathering of people in what one would expect was a peaceful gathering until an argument ensued and then everyone pulled out their weapons.
Since the Virginia General Assembly passed up the opportunity to improve it's gun control laws this year (SB827, Firearms; civil immunity for sellers, and requires criminal records check on transfers), stories like this will just continue and continue and we just will have to get used to it unless we let our legislators and candidates know that we want guns controlled better especially at gun shows and through private gun sales, where guns are sold with no regulation or oversight!
So how about contacting your General Assembly representatives/candidates and get their assurances that they will close that loophole and fix the problem! Maybe it's time for a petition!
From the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence:
http://www.bradycamp...
(I've provided emphasis)
GUN SHOWS:
ARMS BAZAARS FOR TERRORISTS AND CRIMINALSEvery year there are more than 4,000 gun shows in every region of the country.[1] These arms bazaars provide a haven for terrorists, criminals, and illegal gun dealers who want to take advantage of a loophole in existing federal law and buy and sell guns on a cash-and-carry, no-questions-asked basis.
...This loophole makes gun shows attractive sources of guns for criminals, terrorists, and other prohibited purchasers. They can easily avoid criminal background checks by shopping at gun shows where many sellers are willing to do business with no questions asked. Many unscrupulous gun dealers also exploit this loophole to operate full-fledged businesses without following federal gun laws. A full quarter to half of the vendors at most gun shows do not have licenses and are not required to do background checks.[3] A report by the Department of Justice and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives ("ATF"), summarizes the problem:
Gun shows provide a large market where criminals can shop for firearms anonymously. Unlicensed sellers have no way of knowing whether they are selling to a violent felon or someone who intends to illegally traffic guns on the streets to juveniles or gangs. Further, unscrupulous gun dealers can use these free-flowing markets to hide their off-the-book sales. While most gun show sellers are honest and law-abiding, it only takes a few to transfer large numbers of firearms into dangerous hands.
...What is the Solution?
No gun should be sold at a gun show without a background check and appropriate documentation. Regulating all gun sales at gun shows will help to stop the flow of guns into criminals' hands. Cracking down on the illegal gun trafficking market is critical to reducing gun deaths.
Thus far, seventeen states have closed the gun show loophole and require background checks for all sales at gun shows or require some version of a firearm owner identification card to purchase a gun at a gun show.[16] These states are in the minority and the loophole needs to be closed on a federal level.
National polling has consistently shown almost universal support for measures to close the gun show loophole.[17] In November of 1998, Florida's voters passed a constitutional amendment to close the gun show loophole by a margin of 72% to 28%.[18] Additionally, Oregon (62% to 38%) and Colorado (70% to 30%) both passed initiatives to close the gun show loophole in 2000.[19]
The NRA opposes closing this loophole, using the false claim that doing so will put gun shows out of business. There are still numerous gun shows in states that have already closed the gun show loophole, like California, Illinois and Pennsylvania.