Ayotte: Setting the Record Straight - I voted to improve background check system

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Setting the Record Straight

I voted to improve background check system

An op-ed by Sen. Kelly Ayotte

Out of state special interests are running false ads attacking me and even lying about my efforts to prevent gun-related violence. I want to set the record straight: I support effective background checks and in fact voted recently to improve the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS).

As a former prosecutor who served for five years as New Hampshire's attorney general, I have a demonstrated record of punishing criminals and strengthening public safety. Having worked as a murder prosecutor, I've witnessed horrific crime scenes. I've spent time with victims - and I've worked day and night to put violent offenders behind bars.

From my experience working with police chiefs, detectives and prosecutors, I know how important it is to have laws that work - and I know how important it is to enforce the laws we have on the books.

Despite what the false attack ads say, I helped introduce and voted for the Protecting Communities and Preserving the Second Amendment Act, which improves the existing background check system, addresses mental health gaps in the criminal justice system, boosts resources to improve school safety, and criminalizes gun trafficking and straw purchases. The legislation also puts teeth into the law by creating a high level federal task force to increase the prosecution of gun-related violence.

Also, given the clear connection between mental illness and mass violence tragedies at Newtown, Aurora, and Virginia Tech, I cosponsored and voted for the Mental Health Awareness and Improvement Act. This bipartisan measure includes provisions of legislation I helped introduce that seeks to improve mental health first aid training and increase the effectiveness of mental health care across the nation. This amendment passed the Senate overwhelmingly by a vote of 95 to 2.

It's clear that criminals who attempt to illegally purchase firearms aren't being prosecuted as they should be - and have not been for years. For example, in 2010, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms screened 76,142 NICS denials. Of those, charges were brought in only 44 cases - and resulted in just 13 successful prosecutions. This sends the message to criminals that there won't be any consequences when they try to get their hands on guns.

Some of my colleagues want to expand the broken background check system we have now. In my view, we shouldn't be expanding a flawed system. The focus should be on fixing the existing system, which criminals are flouting. We need to make sure we are enforcing current law and prosecuting those who attempt to illegally obtain firearms. And we must ensure that NICS includes records currently not being entered in the system, including mental health adjudications where an individual is found to be a danger to themselves and others.

There are no easy answers. Even if the proposed expansion of background checks had been in place, it wouldn't have prevented the Sandy Hook tragedy - where the perpetrator obtained the firearms he used by killing his own mother, who owned them lawfully.

Like citizens across New Hampshire, I want to find solutions that will stop criminals and those who are mentally ill from obtaining firearms. I want to make sure we punish those who try to access guns illegally. And I want to improve the nation's mental health system so that those who are on the front lines can identify the warning signs of mental illness and help those in need get proper help.

In the Senate, I know that there are members of both parties who want to find common ground on this important issue. And my commitment to the people of New Hampshire is that I will continue to try to work across the aisle to prevent violence, enforce and improve our broken background check system, strengthen mental health services, and increase school safety - all while protecting the constitutional rights of law-abiding Americans.

Misleading television and radio ads are counterproductive and only help to poison this important discussion.
Kelly Ayotte Photo Warm Regards,

Kelly Ayotte
United States Senator
 
The potential for guns to get into the hands of evil is dangerous. But, granting the power to choose which citizens can own guns to the entity that the 2A was designed to protect the citizens from, is far more dangerous.
 
The TV advertisements are very distorted and show her to be anti-background checks. I can't believe 89% of NH residents want background checks either.

The advertisements also make us gun-owning good guys and gals to be unlawful. The advertisement is paid for by some Mayors Association....the NRA ought to get after those folks.

Rich
 
The TV advertisements are very distorted and show her to be anti-background checks. I can't believe 89% of NH residents want background checks either.

The advertisements also make us gun-owning good guys and gals to be unlawful. The advertisement is paid for by some Mayors Association....the NRA ought to get after those folks.

Rich

Dude. Where have you been??? These a**h***s have been trying to grab every gun in the country for YEARS !!!!
Mayors Against Illegal Guns
 
The TV advertisements are very distorted and show her to be anti-background checks. I can't believe 89% of NH residents want background checks either.

The advertisements also make us gun-owning good guys and gals to be unlawful. The advertisement is paid for by some Mayors Association....the NRA ought to get after those folks.

Rich
I am willing to bet I could phrase the question so 89% of people here would support "background checks"
 
The potential for guns to get into the hands of evil is dangerous. But, granting the power to choose which citizens can own guns to the entity that the 2A was designed to protect the citizens from, is far more dangerous.

Bingo

Sen Ayotte seems to be cherry picking a bit.

She glosses over her opposition to the castle doctrine and totally ignores the fact that there's no constitutional basis for "gun control" let alone background checks.

Supporting a federal solution to a problem created by a federal gooberment that has slipped its bounds only makes things worse by making us all less free.

I agree that she's being unfairly attacked by the media and leftist special interest but that doesn't excuse her poor judgement by thinking that our rights are up for discussion

Funny thing is though that crime involving firearms is way way way down.....so why all the hysteria?

Gun Homicide Rate Down 49% Since 1993 Peak; Public Unaware | Pew Social & Demographic Trends
 
And there's the problem some of us have been trying to drill home about Ayotte.

Hint: we don't need to "improve" background checks, we need to eliminate them. Eliminate NICS, the Hughes ban, GCA '68, and NFA. All of it, every single word.
 
The TV advertisements are very distorted and show her to be anti-background checks. I can't believe 89% of NH residents want background checks either.

The advertisements also make us gun-owning good guys and gals to be unlawful. The advertisement is paid for by some Mayors Association....the NRA ought to get after those folks.

Rich

I know I wasn't asked.
 
We should all be wary of anyone saying background checks should include mental health checks. Thoughout history mental health has been used by governments as a reason to lock up or execute dissadents. Not that something like that would happen here [rolleyes], but I have no doubt that mental health would be used to disarm lawful and sane people. There are currently no emperical metrics that can be used to measure mental health. We rely on the opinion of "professionals" like the wife of Gregory Girard of Manchester By The Sea, who told authorities that her husband was batshit crazy because she wanted to leave him.

Many politicians already phrase their questions and policies such that if you don't give them the answer they want, or don't agree with them fully, they make you look like you're crazy or stupid, or just plain heartless. It won't be too long off that disagreeing with their policies will be considered a sign of mental illness.
 
And there's the problem some of us have been trying to drill home about Ayotte.

Hint: we don't need to "improve" background checks, we need to eliminate them. Eliminate NICS, the Hughes ban, GCA '68, and NFA. All of it, every single word.

I agree, but you and I both know that eliminating NICS and the others will never happen unless we physically and violently remove the current government from power and replace it with a more constrained one.
 
And there's the problem some of us have been trying to drill home about Ayotte.

Hint: we don't need to "improve" background checks, we need to eliminate them. Eliminate NICS, the Hughes ban, GCA '68, and NFA. All of it, every single word.

Exactly, they all want to "improve" or "enhance" the checks, laws, registrations, etc until our rights are completely restricted. No thanks.
 
Those stupid TV ads are bullshit; straight out of the Imam Obama/George Soros Playbook. The facts are still the same; changes in background checks would not have stopped any of these recent incidents. A registry of these Mental F**ks, however, would have.
 
wasn't the gun purchasing process a bit more of a pain prior to that?

Not at all. If you mean the period where waiting checks were imposed after the Brady Bill passed but before NICS was in place, yes. But, before Brady, it was simply a matter of filling out the 4473 with ID, cash and carry.

Before Clinton drove the small dealers out of business, there were many more places to shop, too.

- - - Updated - - -

Those stupid TV ads are bullshit; straight out of the Imam Obama/George Soros Playbook. The facts are still the same; changes in background checks would not have stopped any of these recent incidents. A registry of these Mental F**ks, however, would have.

Careful, now: if Big Sis had her way, you and I and other veterans would be on a registry of "these Mental F**ks".
 
hey, if the antis are spending this much money and effort to bring Kelly down, there has to be some really good stuff going on in her office! I think she deserves our undivided support/
 
Ayotte: Setting the Record Straight - I voted to improve background check syst

Those stupid TV ads are bullshit; straight out of the Imam Obama/George Soros Playbook. The facts are still the same; changes in background checks would not have stopped any of these recent incidents. A registry of these Mental F**ks, however, would have.

Please define "mental ****s" for the statute.
 
Other than trampling on your 4th amendment along with your 2nd - whats the real underlying dispute with background checks?

The notion that a tracking system would be implemented and sales/purchases/transfers would be cataloged?

The obvious fact that background checks would not stop disgusting crime?
 
hey, if the antis are spending this much money and effort to bring Kelly down, there has to be some really good stuff going on in her office! I think she deserves our undivided support/

She'll get my undivided support when she stops going "Full Retard" and voting for things like NDAA, Patriot Act etc....until that happens she's just another big gooberment progressive
 
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