GUNS DON'T KILL PEOPLE, OR DO THEY?

[F.U.]

In Iowa and some other states a permit to carry firearms IS a background check. If a person [like me] holds a state issued permit to carry firearms [in some states its known as a ccw permit] no background check is needed when buying a firearm.
Lets say I want to buy a firearm, pistol, revolver, shotgun, rifle, it don't matter. All I do is walk in, pick out the firearm, lay down the cash, show my drivers license and permit to carry and walk out the door with the firearm.
So in some states the background check card idea is being used.

Edited to add. Each state is different but Iowas permit to carry weapons is good for 5 years.

F.U.,

The Iowa system is a lot like what Maggot suggested; it makes sense to me.

Question: If you were holding a 5 year arms permit and got a felony during that period (or had to be treated for mental illness), do you know if your permit would be rendered invalid (or taken away) immediately? If not, would you somehow be flagged as a criminal or mentally ill if you presented your permit and tried to purchase another gun?

If either of those things happen, seems like an ideal procedure, to me - accomplishes the goals but minimizes the overhead costs associated with running a separate background check for each arm sold to the same person.

Good morning HOTD.


That is the one point that this system fails. The permit is good for 5 years and if during that time a person is convicted of a felony his permit would be canceled. BUT, they do not come out and get that permit so it is still in your possession. A dealer would have no reason to do a background check during those 5 years if there is a permit being used so there would be no way for the dealer to know if the permit is still valid.



Now here is a scenario for you.

I obtain a permit to carry. A year later I get a felony and serve 3 years in prison. At that point I am released and return to my life and find my permit to carry in my wallet. At that point the dates on the permit would say it is good for 1 more year so I hit the gun shop and buy as many firearms as I can afford [one at a time]. No background check is done because of that permit. The forum 4473 I fill out is not sent in to the ATF because it is required to be kept in the dealers store for as long as the business is in operation[or 20 years and then destroyed]. If I was smart enough to only buy 1 firearm every week from any given shop [but could buy from different shops and no one would be the wiser] there would be no multiple purchase forums filed with the ATF [yes that is another forum we must file if you buy more than 1 firearm in 5 working days] so they would never know I bought any. At the end of that year I could own 52 [or more if shoping at several different shops]firearms and no one would ever know. At that time I burn down the gun shop so all records are lost. I now have 52 or more, black market firearms for sale.


So long story short, as long as you hold onto that permit for the 5 years you could buy firearms, felon or not.


While the permit/back ground system is great if you are a law abiding citizen it has a few flaws just like EVERY system that the ATF has in place today