Should NICS be opened for everyone?

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SilverBulletZ06

New member
Should they change the rules so that anyone doing a private transfer would be able to access NICS? I've been thinking more and more about it. First, from the sellers perspective it takes a lot of heat off of you if something were to go wrong. Second, it shuts up whiny anti-guns talking about loopholes that don't exist.
 
Subtle question - do you mean that NICS is mandated for a private sale or that it would be available, say at a gun show. You could ask the buyer to go to a NICS station for a check?

Or having it as a general data base? That would lead to data snooping by all kinds of folks. Do you want your boss to be able to do a NICS check?

If at the confined instance of the a gun show, such privacy intrusions probably would be unlikely.

Having a NICS stand at the shows for private sales if you want to make a purchaser have one is different.
 
First, if I sell a piece of personal property, assuming the sale is legal, why should I be held responsible for the actions of the buyer?

Second, why spend time, energy and resources trying to fix non-existent problems?
 
First off, I don't like the idea of the NICS system at all. For now, it's something licensed dealers have to use.

Expanding it so anyone could use it would lead to everyone using it to run superfluous background checks on themselves, and it would bog the system down for retailers.

As it is, the system has been hopelessly overburdened the last week.
 
Glenn, NICS as it sits no, no database just a call in and BG check.

Spats, it would be more as a counter to the stupidity of the elected officials and for sound peace of mind for those who sell if they wish.
 
I could be wrong, but couldn't this already be done voluntarily? Take the firearm in question to an FFL pay them transfer/consignment fees and do the sale there?
 
In the state of Washington that would never fly. FFL transfers in this state are subject to a use tax on the full value of the firearm + the FFL fee + shipping, if any.
 
SilverBulletZ06 said:
. . . .Spats, it would be more as a counter to the stupidity of the elected officials and for sound peace of mind for those who sell if they wish.
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I think it rewards stupidity and anti-gun sentiment more than anything. It also opens up the possibility of requiring a NICS check for every firearm transfer. I can already hear Dianne Feinstein saying, "Why, the NICS system is already there, and already available for anyone to use. There's no reason anyone shouldn't use it, so let's make it mandatory."

No, thank you.
 
There are a couple issues to deal with, but if those were solved, I can't say I'd object even if it was mandatory.

First, the openings for identity theft are astronomical.

Second, the waiting period for a handgun in a private sale isn't acceptable. I'm not a private business with store hours, and a security system to prevent the guy from coming back and stealing it while "waiting for the approval" once he knows I have it.
 
Do you want your boss to be able to do a NICS check?
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There are other, similar systems that many employers do use.

NICS is unique because its purpose is specifically for a licensed firearms dealer to verify eligibility of a buyer. 99.9% it's shockingly efficient, but it is designed for that purpose only. The operators are trained to enter and process very specific information in a very specific sequence and nothing else.
 
The real question is do you want some guy you met on Craiglist, Gunbroker, or the Swap Meet two counties over, selling you what may be a stolen gun, to have your address and social?
 
With tweaks to prevent identity theft and privacy issues, I'd support it. Frankly, one reason I don't plan on selling any of my guns is due to the fact that I might be selling to a less than decent person (although many would obviously slip through any NICS-like system).

If the identity and privacy issues can be worked out, I could see an open "instant check" system preventing a small number of bad sales (certainly a good thing).
 
If it is just something to ease your own conscience, you could ask to see the buyers concealed carry license (if he has one), then your background check is already done.
 
The federal government cannot regulate a transaction between two residents of a single state of the union.

This is discussed in the commerce clause of the Constitution.

A federal requirement to have background checks for an intrastate transaction is NOT coming to your state.
 
If it is just something to ease your own conscience, you could ask to see the buyers concealed carry license (if he has one), then your background check is already done.
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That's what I do - seems to have worked fine so far
 
JN01 said:
If it is just something to ease your own conscience, you could ask to see the buyers concealed carry license (if he has one), then your background check is already done.
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In AR, your address is on the license, so it also lets the seller confirm that the buyer is a resident of the state, or at least was at the time the CHCL was issued.
 
The federal government cannot regulate a transaction between two residents of a single state of the union.

This is discussed in the commerce clause of the Constitution.

A federal requirement to have background checks for an intrastate transaction is NOT coming to your state.
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Valid point.


...too bad the federal government doesn't much care about the limits of the commerce clause.
 
All transfers must go through an FFL. Problem solved.
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No thanks. Turning a $200 transaction into a 250+ transaction and allowing the state to collect sales tax on a private sale for an item already taxed is a bit much for me.
 
In NY for a private sale of a couple pistols I had to go to the sheriff's dept. with the buyer and write down makes, models, and serial numbers of the weapons. They are then transferred from my permit to his. This is a pain, I know, but there will be no question of accountability on my end with whatever happens in the future with those guns. People will bring up the issue of why does responsibility fall on the seller? It would be illegal for the seller to knowingly sell a gun to felon, but what about all the times when a seller UNknowingly sells a gun to a felon? This happens, and it's an easy fix, but would lead to inconvenience on the part of the sellers. Just a thought, could a seller stop into a local Bass Pro Shop or wherever and have the clerk run a NICS check for you? Maybe pay a small service fee? It would be a pain for a sellers to do, but we as gun advocates need to start thinking of fair and reasonable compromises on this issue because something is coming. It can either be change we can live with or not. I'd prefer a change we could live with.
 
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