US Senate Passes Gun Bill In Response To Rampage

[Purveyor]

Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON, Dec 19 (Reuters) - The U.S. Congress, prodded by the deadliest shooting rampage in modern American history, passed legislation on Wednesday designed to keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill.

Without objection, the Senate and House of Representatives approved the measure, which would bolster background checks for gun buyers, and sent it to President George W. Bush to sign.

The measure would be the first major new gun-control law in more than a decade. It was drafted after a deranged gunman killed himself and 32 others in April at Virginia Tech university.

The product of months of talks, the bill was finally agreed to as lawmakers prepared to wrap up their work for the year and head home for the holidays.

"Together, we have crafted a bill that will prevent gun violence, but maintain the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens" to bear arms, said Democratic Rep. Carolyn McCarthy of New York, a chief sponsor of the bill. Her husband was killed and son injured in 1993 when a gunman opened fire on a train.



Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/bondsNews/idUSN1963867920071219

[Robbien]

1. Is the Veto pen getting all inked up and ready to go

Or is this really just a token toothless bill whose only purpose is to mollify the masses.

[slackmaster]

2. Neither

This is a real bill that is supported by gun control advocacy groups AND the NRA.

Bush will sign it.

[Robbien]

3. Been doing a bit of research

All this bill does is clarify what documents are required to show whether someone is mentally ill.

The current law {18 USC § 922 ) disallows selling a gun to anyone "who has been adjudicated as a mental defective or who has been committed to a mental institution."

So the current bill does nothing really but add guidance to gun shops when they are determining whether a person is mentally fit.

[slackmaster]

5. It will provide financial assistance to states and tribes to assist in timely reporting

And it provides penalties for non-compliance. It also will ensure that people who have been adjudicated or committed have a process by which they can have their rights restored.

You can look up the bill text on http://www.thomas.gov - search for bill HR 2640.

The Brady Campaign claims that it would have stopped the Virginia Tech shooter from purchasing his guns from a lawful source. I'm not completely sure that it would, but it is a step in the right direction.

Missing NICS records are the biggest weakness in the present system.

[DumpDavisHogg]

4. What exactly does the bill say?

Anyone have a link to the contents of the bill?

If Bush supports it, it's almost certainly a bad bill.

[slackmaster]

6. Go to Thomas and look it up

There are three versions available at http://www.thomas.gov - search for HR 2640.

If Bush supports it, it's almost certainly a bad bill.

My friend, that is not logical. Nobody is wrong all the time.

One reason the NRA supports it is that it mandates that states provide a "relief from disabilities" program by which people who have been adjudicated as incompetent can petition to have their right to own a gun restored. Right now, there is a mish-mash of different standards.

[-..__...]

7. No big deal with this one.

Hopefully, this will be the last...

"The measure would be the first major new gun-control law in more than a decade".

[Toots]

8. WOW I expect now for the USA to have the same amount of gun violence is Japan

Why is it we don't want the mentally disabled to be able to defend us from the government? :shrug:

[DumpDavisHogg]

9. I sure don't feel any safer

I sure don't feel any safer now that this bill is about to become law. And I can guarantee you it wouldn't have prevented the Virginia Tech massacre. The next time there's some big shooting, what are people going to say? (I hope there aren't any more mass shootings, but I just know there's going to be.)

Also, the United States is as bad as the Soviet Union was with using mental "hospitals" to detain dissidents.