The 40% Myth

[MaverickNH]

The ?40 Percent? Myth - John Lott - National Review Online

[EXCERPT] Gun-control advocates have recently been throwing around an impressive new number. President Obama used it last Wednesday, claiming: “as many as 40 percent of guns are purchased without a background check.” Vice President Biden and everyone from the New York Times to the Wall Street Journal to USA Today repeatedly use it. That “fact” provided the principal support for his first announced gun-control proposal, “universal background checks.” But unless you include family inheritances and gifts as “purchases,” it is simply false...We don’t know the precise number today, but it is hard to believe that it is above single digits.

 

[MagGus1820]

Lefties aren't interested in facts and figures. They only like emotional, tug at your heartstrings BS. Their numbers are almost always made up.

 

[CrackPot]

The Brady bill has exemptions for states that issue permits that meet certain criteria. With these, the FFL does not have to do a check at purchase time as the license is proof of the check.

http://www.atf.gov/firearms/brady-law/permit-chart.html

21 states have exemptions. That is ~40%.

Might be the way they are cooking the numbers.


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[JoeT]

I don't know...I haven't bought (or sold) a gun in almost 3 years through an FFL. ALL have been legal transfers, but their "loophole" include these transactions

almost 1/2 is doubtful, but I'd bet it's more than single digits. The rest of the country isn't like the north east

 

[Kevin_NH]

40% of speech is not via state-controlled media. Close the webforum loophole!

I agree, we don't know what the number is, it could be much higher than 40%. Very few states have anything like Massachusett's FA-10 system, and it's not uncommon for people to trade firearms like they do knives, informally amongst friends.

OTOH, just because transfers don't go through a background check or give an FFL a bit of extra profit, doesn't mean those transfers are bad, wrong or should be stopped or brought under the control of the state.

 

[dcmdon]

My response to the 40% statement is simply "so what". Why should government know when you buy or sell a firearm?