Top GOP senator introduces NRA-backed gun legislation

[mmckee1952]

Top GOP senator introduces NRA-backed gun legislation

By Kelly Cohen

New legislation from Texas Sen. John Cornyn would make the federal background check system for buying guns more effective, in addition to strengthening programs for treating people with mental illnesses.

The Republican lawmaker, who is also the majority whip, introduced the legislation Wednesday ahead of the Senate's five-week recess. The effort, dubbed the Mental Health and Safe Communities Act, garnered support from the National Rifle Association, the National Alliance on Mental Illness and the National Association of Police Organizations.

The bill "would clarify the types of mental health records required to be forwarded to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System — an issue raised in the recent shooting in Lafayette, La. — and encourage states to send more information to the database by creating a stick-and-carrot compliance system. It would also encourage 'best practices' for responding to mental health crises, including the use of specially trained response teams by federal and local law enforcement agencies."

Though no Democrats have yet signed onto the bill, New York Sen. Chuck Schumer introduced legislation earlier this week that would revamp the federal background check system.

The push for gun control legislation comes after a summer that has seen deadly shootings in both Charleston, S.C., and Lafayette, La.

Currently, background checks are only required for gun sales by federally licensed gun dealers. Though people who have been legally ruled "mentally defective" or have been committed to mental institutions are unable to buy firearms, states are not required to send those records to the FBI-run federal database, leaving a loophole.

"This legislation will strengthen programs that promote preventative screening and crisis response training so that we can better understand and treat the factors which may endanger public safety," Cornyn said in a statement. "By giving our communities the resources necessary to recognize and prevent acts of violence, we not only protect American families, but help those affected by mental illness."

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My thoughts:
This required submission by the various states into the data base has been the biggest problem with the NICS background check system. It will go a long way to eliminate these people from obtaining a gun.

[Bailey960]

..............My thoughts:
This required submission by the various states into the data base has been the biggest problem with the NICS background check system. It will go a long way to eliminate these people from obtaining a gun.

I'd agree, close up the "loopholes". All the questions that are on the 4473 should be verifiable under all circumstances. I mean, really who's going to answer "yes" if they know it will halt the gun purchase? Human nature to just say no unless one knows it will be flagged.

[WRW]

My thoughts:
Any time the Federal Govt. has money to give to States in order to promote a program, they shouldn't have thar money in the first place.

Also, this has the makings for abuse by States and Feds. A Doctors appointment at MCV now requires a nurse to question the patient about safety at home and bullying...and there is no provision for refusing the questions.

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[SHMIV]

I don't like it.

I have opposition to the federal background checks, anyway. It gives the impression that the government granted us our 2A rights.

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[WRW]

And Federal response to mental health crises???? Say what?

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[SHMIV]

There doesn't need to be a federal response.

The individual response is to be armed, so that you can defend against crazy people.

Really, if someone is so mentality unstable that they can't be trusted with firearms, how can we trust them with anything? We can't. But, we can't regulate everything to keep it all out of the hands of crazy people.

If crazy people can't aquire firearms to cause harm, they will, and do, come up with another crazy scheme.

It's the same thing with criminals. The best we can do is to make sure that we have the best tools that we can afford to defend ourselves. And, interference from the government only infringes on our ability to do that.

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[Bailey960]

I don't like it.

I have opposition to the federal background checks, anyway. It gives the impression that the government granted us our 2A rights

Not really, rights get forfeited all the time. From voting to freedom your behavior can result in the loss of rights.

There doesn't need to be a federal response............... And, interference from the government only infringes on our ability to do that.

You're correct we'll never achieve 100% ................but.......... we can & should remove as many as we possibly can. There is NO reason why every question on the 4473 with the exception of drug use/addiction shouldn't be flagged in a database. Felon, nutbag, armed forces reject, abuser = get the f*** out of the store, go away, you fail. Put them all in a DB & run the check, fine with me.

Answer a question - if every question (w/ the exception) could be seen during the NCIC check would this impact your life? Wouldn't affect me a bit. Same as I don't worry about the current check.

Non PC thought - so, exactly how is the closing of the mental institutions working out longterm? (another huge thanks to the kum-by-ya cretins)

[WRW]

Rights get forfeited by whom?

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[Bailey960]

Rights get forfeited by whom?

Depends on the right. Commit a crime (felony) = forfeit your freedom, gun ownership, and depending on crime (& state) voting rights. Term on loss depends - guns are permanent (unless you spend $$$$$), voting rights can be permanent, and freedom is for a specified time frame.

But then you can put me in the "Chris Rock" camp. His thoughts from a stand up routine.

.......Prisoners get 3 meals a day, homeless people don't get sh*t.........Chuck a cow over the wall and what happens, happens.....

I ain't no reformer - lol.

But ones behavior can limit ones rights.

[WRW]

That's SHMIV's point.

And I wouldn't admit to any relationship to Chris Rock. Barack and Michelle are like the Mommy and Daddy and should be honored as such, according to him.

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[Jeff82]

There is NO reason why every question on the 4473 with the exception of drug use/addiction shouldn't be flagged in a database.

Why stop there? Is this your vice that you want to protect? Hell no! Every swinging illegal drug user/abuser should be barred by federal and state law. No exceptions. If you're gonna go - go all the way.

Or, get the feds out of it all together.

[SHMIV]

Truthfully, I have never filled out one of those forms. All of my firearms purchases have been through private sellers. So I can't answer questions pertaining to form questions.

I have to agree with Jeff, when he says get the Feds out of it all together. We don't need them to regulate our weaponry.

###################

This is getting a bit deep to delve into on my phone, with W2B talking in my ear. I'm going to have to wait until I have peace and quiet, and my computer, before I can elaborate further.

I apologize for any inconvenience.

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[Mindflayer]

You wonder why I get pissed when you GOP diehards get all mushy about the party? Every single one of you should be voting Libertarian.

[WRW]

You wonder why I get pissed when you GOP diehards get all mushy about the party? Every single one of you should be voting Libertarian.

To start, I didn't vote in the Texas elections. I doubt many of us did.

Then there are disqualifiers that keep me from voting for many of the Libertarians.

And, as well, you get pissed? And....?

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[SHMIV]

GOP diehard? Not me.

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[Bailey960]

.......Why stop there? Is this your vice that you want to protect? Hell no! Every swinging illegal drug user/abuser should be barred by federal and state law. No exceptions. If you're gonna go - go all the way.

I disqualified it because how does one even begin to test it? It's silly question to even ask, it's stupid. I mean who the hell is going to answer yes? Reminds me of going on a cruise - you fill out a form that asks about being sick, say yes & you don't go = you lose all the $$$ you paid. Think ANYONE says yes? Same with this question nobody is going to say "I'm a drug addict". What are they going to do? Do a piss test?

On the other hand I have ZERO issue with them checking & eliminating the losers. As I said above - armed forces reject, felon, abuser, nutbag = NO. GFY, no firearms for you. Hell, I was in Quantico Tactical yesterday & a guy next to me was trying to by a pistol. Guy asked if he was a US citizen & he said no that he was a permanent resident. Sorry, company policy we only sell to US citizens. My first thought was "hurray, excellent, I'll be doing a lot of my business here".

Some people shouldn't own firearms & I have no problem with keeping them from having them. For the most part the 4473 covers those who should be eliminated from the ownership pool.

You wonder why I get pissed when you GOP diehards get all mushy about the party? Every single one of you should be voting Libertarian.

I'm not a diehard anything. I eve hear of a politician who isn't a moron I'll let you know. I'm more in line with the old joke - what do you have when you have a politican up to his neck in cement? .................Not enough cement.

[OakRidgeStars]

You wonder why I get pissed when you GOP diehards get all mushy about the party? Every single one of you should be voting Libertarian.

To start, I didn't vote in the Texas elections. I doubt many of us did.

Then there are disqualifiers that keep me from voting for many of the Libertarians.

And, as well, you get pissed? And....?

The only two "libertarians" (small L) I know of are both Republicans. And only one of them is actively running for office.

Of course, I'm talking about Ron and Rand Paul if you don't know.

[WRW]

You wonder why I get pissed when you GOP diehards get all mushy about the party? Every single one of you should be voting Libertarian.

To start, I didn't vote in the Texas elections. I doubt many of us did.

Then there are disqualifiers that keep me from voting for many of the Libertarians.

And, as well, you get pissed? And....?

The only two "libertarians" (small L) I know of are both Republicans. And only one of them is actively running for office.

Of course, I'm talking about Ron and Rand Paul if you don't know.

Yeah, I wasn't limiting that comment to this race.

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[MarcSpaz]

@Patrick... I think most people on this forum wouldn't piss on a GOP Establishment Rhino if he was on fire. I think most (not all) of us are either Constitutional Conservatives or Libertarians.

@Bailey... The way you are thinking and talking is what gets ALL rights and privileges stripped from everyone. There should be no government regulations and no databases for 2 very big reasons.

1.) Though I love my country, and will defend the Constitution and our people in any way I can, the people who have been running our government for the last 100 years have mostly been Progressive idiots that have managed to ruin every single service that they have provided or tried to provide.

Some may be successful business people in the private sector, but they can't successfully do anything in the public sector. I don't trust the people in our government today to successfully protect us with laws on written paper or in a digital database, when criminals and crazies don't care and will find a way anyway.

2.) There are hateful Communists, legitimate card toting members of the Communist Party or America, that currently hold national public office and don't believe that the power of a Nation or the final Authority should be the citizens. They believe in the aristocrat, elite ruling class and people are too dumb to take care of themselves. Almost all of the Democrat party falls into this category.

These elite rulers try pass laws that are designed to take power away from Americans to enslave them. They exempt themselves from the rules. They have no fear of the rules affecting their posterity, because the expect their descendents to take their "rightful place" as our rulers.

They only thing that stops it is the people in mass contacting their reps in government and saying NO. The only reason we have that power is because we are many and they are few; because we are 150 million strong with private ownership of over 270 million weapons. Though they try to ignore the Constitution, and re-write the past, they can't ignore the past. They know that the day the people feel like they are no longer being served, but have become the servants, the people will take their government back by force, just the way our founders EXPECT us to.

Well, we can't do that if we are not armed. If we have no guns and the military has 1.4 million people with arms to push us around, we will be easier to control. So, the Communists pass law to look like they are trying to help you.

Its common sense to not arm a crazy person or a criminal. The problem is, once the laws are passed, the same politicians slowly change the definition of crazy and criminal, so everyone fits into one category or another. In case that fails, all gun owners are in a database. We know where they are. Once enough people are disarmed because they took a Prozac or Cymbalta due to migraines or anyone who ever spank their kid or got a parking ticket, they will simply come after the rest of us.

If you think I am wrong, look at the history of Cuba, China, Germany and occupied Europe, Turkey, Armenia, the Soviet Union, Guatemala, Uganda, Cambodia, Australia, and Rwanda. And those are just the countries I can think of all the top of my head since about WWI.

No... I say, no gun laws, like the founding father wanted. Let every peace loving, hard working person defend themselves. There is a reason why the Second Amendment is only a single, simple sentence. So it could be easily understood, not be misinterpreted. Brief and to the point. Arms equal freedom.

There was a time when all men carried a sword and the world was at peace... or at least as close to it as men can be.

[Bailey960]

..............@Bailey... The way you are thinking and talking is what gets ALL rights and privileges stripped from everyone. There should be no government regulations and no databases for 2 very big reasons............

You'll not get any argument from me on govt programs, never seen one they didn't muck up. Nor will I argue the army = the DOD is simply a modern day welfare system, 90%+ simply doesn't need to exist. But being pragmatic a) the govt exits b) databases exist.....making sure they operate as intended is what I'd like.

......but as my signature says......