MAIG, Law Enforcement Help Block N.C. Proposal To Eliminate Background Checks

[Robb]

RALEIGH, N.C -- North Carolina mayors and law enforcement tonight helped block a dangerous NRA-backed attack on gun background checks from passing the General Assembly, as lawmakers stripped language from HB 937 that would have repealed the state's handgun permit requirement -- effectively eliminating background checks for private handgun sales.

North Carolina mayors and law enforcement have spoken out in strong opposition to the version of the bill pushed by Washington gun lobbyists, which would have made it easier for criminals, domestic abusers and those with severe mental illnesses to get handguns. 90 percent of North Carolinians support background checks for all gun sales.

The previous version of HB 937, which passed the North Carolina State Senate, would have repealed the state's requirement that all handgun purchases by private sellers undergo a background check -- creating easy access to guns for dangerous people who are currently unable to pass a background check. Empirical evidence shows states that have taken similar measures weakening laws on background checks have seen a spike in violent crime. In states that require background checks for all handgun sales, however, 39 percent fewer law enforcement officials are killed with handguns, and the firearm suicide rate is 49 percent lower.

Currently, because of a dangerous loophole in federal law, criminals can avoid background checks by buying firearms from unlicensed "private sellers" -- often at gun shows or through anonymous online transactions -- who are not required by federal law to conduct them. An estimated 6.6 million guns were transferred in 2012 without a federal background check, accounting for approximately 40 percent of all gun sales in the United States....

Read More: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/north-carolina-mayors-and-law-enforcement-help-block-dangerous-proposal-that-would-have-eliminated-background-checks-on-handgun-purchases-216690721.html