More from Bloomberg:
Mayor Michael Bloomberg has for years criticized President Barack Obama on gun-control policy, with denunciations that become louder when gun violence dominates headlines. Now, in a shift, Bloomberg is shaping the debate from within the White House….He outlined a policy agenda that includes cracking down on gun trafficking, regulating gun sales more heavily and prosecuting more gun owners who break the law. Many of the ideas have been on the mayor’s policy wish list for year.
Bloomberg said he would like to see the commission draft a bill requiring all gun purchasers to undergo criminal background checks, whether the guns are purchased online or at a gun show. He also touted a bill limiting military-style weapons and high-capacity magazines, similar to a federal assault weapons ban that expired.
The mayor also urged felony prosecutions for gun-trafficking crimes and for those who fail background checks when purchasing weapons by lying about criminal histories.
Let’s start with that last bit. This is a prime example of anti-gunners talking off the cuff. Its already a federal felony to sell guns to criminals, and to fail a background check one must purger themselves on the 4473 form at the gun shop, as if they answer any of the questions “Wrong” the sale is cancelled even before the phone is picked up.
Bloomberg probably knows this, but he’s pushing a law that already exists, and is almost never enforced probably so he and others can squeeze wider, more draconian controls in.
As for the other stuff, its boilerplate, and meaningless until a bill gets serious discussion.
We need to be writing our representation NOW to make sure they know where we stand, even BEFORE the bills come before them!
