Virginia Gun Owners Forum - VGOF

http://www.mtairynews.com/view/full_sto ... _news_lead

http://tinyurl.com/35fotek

Boucher takes aim at gun show proposal
by Tom Joyce

WASHINGTON — With the largest gun show in the region under way in Hillsville, Va., the congressman who represents that area is blasting away at a federal bill to require background checks for those buying firearms at such events.

U.S. Rep. Rick Boucher of Virginia’s Ninth District said Friday that the proposal would unfairly penalize the gun shows and the communities hosting them, as well as buyers and sellers who tend to be law-abiding citizens.

“The gun shows normally take place over a weekend,” Boucher said of the time frame involved.

Unlike licensed dealers, who are already required to do background checks, sellers at a gun show might lack the technology to run them.
And if several days are required to complete a check as a result, sales will be lost, said Boucher, a Democrat from Abingdon.

The federal bill he opposes fails to take into account the nature of events such as the annual Hillsville VFW Gun Show and Flea Market, Boucher said of the largest such gathering in his congressional district. It has been held during Labor Day weekends since 1967.

“Most of the sales at gun shows are very casual sales,” Boucher explained.

He sees the Hillsville show as a venue where people who aren’t licensed dealers can go to take advantage of a “large market.”
Meanwhile, this also assures gun hobbyists of a wide selection from which to choose. “It’s just a great opportunity for people to maintain the kind of firearms collections that they want,” the congressman said.

Boucher believes that implementing the background-check entanglement would serve to scare sellers away from those events. “So my real concern is that the gun shows then would fail — the gun shows just wouldn’t even happen.”

That in turn would hurt localities such as Hillsville and Carroll County, according to the federal legislator. “The gun shows are a real source of economic vitality where they’re held.” An estimated 500,000 visitors are expected for the Hillsville gun show and flea market, which began Friday and ends Monday.

“So I strongly oppose the bill,” Boucher added.

It results from a move by gun-control advocates to plug the so-called “gun show loophole,” which so far has been unsuccessful on both the state and federal levels. “We have been able to stop it so far,”
Boucher said of opponents of the congressional measure aimed at requiring background checks, “and we’re going to continue to stop it.”

An episode that has fueled such proposals is the 2007 shooting on the Virginia Tech campus in which a gunman killed 32 people. However, that tragedy did not result from a lack of background checks at gun shows, but flaws relating to oversight of persons with mental illness.

Boucher said he believes a person who is looking for a gun to commit a crime would not be thwarted by such regulations.

“People who are determined to commit a crime are going to find a way to do it,” Boucher said. “The background checks aren’t going to stop someone who is determined.”

Instead, such a rule simply will keep firearms out of the hands of people with a legitimate right to own them, said the Ninth District representative, who supports the lawful possession and use of guns.

Boucher, a 28-year incumbent whose district includes Carroll, Patrick and Grayson counties, is now running for re-election to another term.
Opposing him on the November ballot are Republican Morgan Griffith, an influential member of the Virginia House of Delegates, and Jeremiah Heaton, an independent candidate.

The incumbent recently received an endorsement from the National Rifle Association in the race.

Contact Tom Joyce at tjoyce@mtairynews.com or at 719-1924.


Read more: Mount Airy News - Boucher takes aim at gun show proposal

--

Have you remembered to sign up for the VA-ALERT yet?  If so, are you enjoying it?  If not, what are you waiting for?  It's FREE!
just click

               http://www.vcdl.org/va-alert.html