US House passes gun control bill

From BBC News:
The US House of Representatives has passed a bill that would bolster background checks on gun buyers.

The new bill would close a gap by requiring states to automate reporting of mental health and criminal records to a database used to check gun buyers.

To become law, the measure must be approved by the Senate and be signed by President George W Bush.

Full BBC Article here

So, things had to start changing eventually.

The one thing that this report doesn't state too clearly is just what kinds of criminal records would prevent you being able to buy a gun? This is how it stood from 1968:

Under legislation passed in 1968, people barred from buying guns include those convicted of a crime punishable by more than a year in prison, drug addicts and those found by a court to be mentally disabled.

Surely this should only apply to violent criminal records? What if you were convicted of something like car theft, fraud or some other non-violent crime?

Any legal Eagles out there help clarify this.

I wonder how long it will be until it gets approval, Bush signs it and it gets passed.

No other reports yet, but I will post here was and when.

All comments welcome.

Edit for second report:

BBC "newsvote" report

US gun law in firing line

New legislation aimed at tightening gun control laws in the United States have been criticised by President Bill Clinton.

Mr Clinton, who has long campaigned for tougher gun regulations, said the new law was worse than existing legislation.

Seems like not everyone's happy! At least this is getting the proper concern.

[edit on 13/6/2007 by nerbot]

MSNBC report:
WASHINGTON - The House Wednesday passed what could become the first major federal gun control law in over a decade, spurred by the Virginia Tech campus killings and buttressed by National Rifle Association help.

MSNBC news report

[edit on 13/6/2007 by nerbot]

All I do know is that Dingle helped kill a gun control bill a few years ago, going against B. Clinton.

At this point, if the NRA had involvement in the making it may be alright. I don't want nut jobs getting firearms too.

Roper

from roper:
At this point, if the NRA had involvement in the making it may be alright. I don't want nut jobs getting firearms too.

You got that right.

I think this will get plenty of attention and not get passed without thorough scrutiny from all sides.

Presumably, if and when this passes, what will be next with regards gun laws in the US? Things like this will always have momentum I think.

honestly to me this seems like another way to label people and thus lower even further the domestic ammo supply. It sounds all good at first, but thinking about it who is a criminal? What are the determining factors? This mean less guns in places where pepople will fight back if the Gov comes in shooting?

I'm just thinking about it as another way to ebb and flow people into giving up things willingly by labeling...

Before they come-a-knocking, they have to

dis-arm the public. Everyone qualifies for unstability. There's something wrong with most of us, meaning, depression, hopelessness, feelings of inadequacy, all, mind you, brought about by the present times.

So, i guess if you never went to a doctor for ANYTHING, you can keep your gun. On the other hand, if you ever got a sleeping pill, you can be labeled "unstable"- (after all, there's no telling what you may do if you've been sleep deprived!!!)

Originally posted by dgtempe
So, i guess if you never went to a doctor for ANYTHING, you can keep your gun. On the other hand, if you ever got a sleeping pill, you can be labeled "unstable"- (after all, there's no telling what you may do if you've been sleep deprived!!!)

that's just the slippery slope logical fallacy. just because things CAN get that bad doesn't mean they will

I wonder if one day we are to wake up and find out that all this bills and laws are just eroding littler by littler the rights of law abiding citizens to protect themselves as by our constitutional rights.

One day all this bills and laws will add up to not more guns for citizens.

dgtempe and Marge have a point. In a nation gone totally over to a dictatorship we would be in deep kimchi, or to be used in the start of a dictatorship.

We have a full time Congress and they have too much time on their hands to get us into trouble.

In another thread the GOA is at odds with this bill.

Roper