Dianne Feinstein: On gun control, finish the work we started [View all]

[petronius]

Twenty years ago Saturday, the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act became the law of the land. This groundbreaking gun-safety law requires background checks on all gun sales by licensed dealers.

Background checks on gun purchases work. The law has stopped more than 2 million convicted felons, domestic abusers and individuals with serious mental illnesses from purchasing firearms.

But the Brady Act has a big loophole: It does not require background checks on the estimated 40 percent of gun transfers made between private parties. This means anyone can purchase a firearm at a gun show or over the Internet without undergoing any sort of background check. Last year, an estimated 6.6 million firearms were transferred this way.

Critics have argued that expanding background checks to close this loophole is pointless because no criminal would consent to a background check. California law -- which requires background checks on all gun sales except those between family members -- proves otherwise.

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http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_24605596/dianne-feinstein-gun-control-finish-work-we-started

Nothing particularly new here, but I am surprised that Sen. Feinstein wrote an entire op-ed without once mentioning a new AWB...