Typical political move (dodge the issue), but I'm not looking this gift horse in the mouth - pro-gun side wins this one. And, Ginger writes another good one.
http://www.startext.net/news/doc/1047/1:METRO34/1:METRO340809100.html
Fort Worth City Council sidesteps gun show measures
By Ginger D. Richardson
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
FORT WORTH -- A divided City Council incensed a crowd of nearly 400 last night by tabling two resolutions involving background checks at gun shows at city-owned facilities.
The 6-3 vote came after nearly two hours of deliberation and was booed by those who supported the checks and those who opposed them. Many immediately berated council members for not taking definite action.
Councilwomen Wendy Davis and Becky Haskin and Mayor Pro Tem Ralph McCloud opposed tabling the resolutions.
"It's reprehensible," Davis said. "I was disgusted by it. Let's have these difficult discussions. Let's take these hard votes. I'd rather lose than have what happened here tonight."
The motion to table the resolutions was made by Councilman Jim Lane, who said the contentious debate was keeping the council from focusing on other city issues.
"This was never going to go away," Lane said. "It has divided the council, it has made people mad at each other, and it has kept us from getting our streets fixed or focusing on our after-school programs."
It will take the votes of five council members to put the proposals back on the agenda.
One of the resolutions, authored by Councilman Chuck Silcox, would have simply encouraged federal lawmakers to pass legislation requiring that background checks be conducted at the shows. The other, written by Davis, would have restricted the leasing of city facilities for gun shows so that only licensed dealers would be allowed to sell firearms.
Before the vote, it appeared that Davis' resolution would have been defeated. A majority of council members said they didn't think that the city has the legal power to impose such restrictions.
Like most states, Texas has laws intended to limit cities' attempts to impose local gun-related regulations. Trying to regulate the shows could open the city to a costly lawsuit, officials said.
"I would like all participants at gun shows to have background checks," Councilman Jeff Wentworth said. "But I think we are treading on very tight ground here."
Yesterday's decision not to make a decision was an anti-climactic temporary end to a months-long debate.
Before voting, council members listened to more than an hour of impassioned testimony from a standing-room-only audience, many of whom wore colored stickers bearing slogans like "Close the Loophole" or "Gun Shows: Honest Citizens, Honest Sales."
One of the most eloquent pleas for keeping the shows in city facilities came from Fort Worth resident Al Foster, whose daughter was murdered in 1984.
"If anyone had a reason to want guns to be outlawed, I would be that person," Foster said. "But my daughter was not murdered by a gun. Therefore my hatred should not be against those weapons, but against those who use those weapons.
"I don't want you to outlaw gun shows; I want you to prosecute the murderers."
But gun-regulation advocate Eunice Givens said the shows "pose an undesirable threat" to Fort Worth's image as an all-American city.
"Gun violence has erupted from the courthouse to church house, and I am appalled that these offensive activities are being held in facilities being paid for with my tax dollars," Givens said.
The city leased space to sponsors of 17 gun shows at the Fort Worth Convention Center and Will Rogers Memorial Center last year, generating about $98,000 in revenue, Public Events Director Kirk Slaughter has said.
Texas leads the nation in such shows, with 472 events held in 1998, according to a January 1999 report by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
In the report, the ATF found that 25 percent to 50 percent of vendors at most gun shows are unlicensed or private sellers. Those sellers are not subject to the federal Brady Act, which requires background checks on the national database.
That was the so-called gun-show loophole that some council members were trying to close with the now-tabled resolutions.
Ginger D. Richardson, (817) 390-7616
grichardson@star-telegram.com
-- 30 --
This was posted on the FreeRepublic board also, with some interesting points --
" 'Gun violence has erupted from the courthouse to church house, and I am appalled that these offensive activities are being held in facilities being paid for with my tax dollars,' Givens said.
The city leased space to sponsors of 17 gun shows at the Fort Worth Convention Center and Will Rogers Memorial Center last year, generating about $98,000 in revenue, Public Events Director Kirk Slaughter has said."
Assuming that the "$98,000 in revenue" is NET revenue delivered to the city, it appears that Mr. Givens (as usual for liberals), has his head up his a$$, and the gun shows are actually MAKING A PROFIT FOR THE CITY, and REDUCING his potential FUTURE tax burden. The facilities are either ALREADY PAID FOR (so his tax dollars have ALREADY BEEN SPENT), or they have bonds to be retired, so the PROFIT from the gun shows likely goes to pay off those bonds. Either way, Givens is an idiot." - Wonder Warthog
Interesting point II - no doubt this tactic will be used in your area:
"...the ATF found that 25 percent to 50 percent of vendors at most gun shows are unlicensed or private sellers"
The thing is, they count other kinds of vendors, too. Vendors of books, magazines, knives, crafts, and everything else under the sun. This makes up the 25-50% of vendors." - AKbear
------------------
"The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside
the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light." (Romans 13:12)
[This message has been edited by Oatka (edited August 09, 2000).]
http://www.startext.net/news/doc/1047/1:METRO34/1:METRO340809100.html
Fort Worth City Council sidesteps gun show measures
By Ginger D. Richardson
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
FORT WORTH -- A divided City Council incensed a crowd of nearly 400 last night by tabling two resolutions involving background checks at gun shows at city-owned facilities.
The 6-3 vote came after nearly two hours of deliberation and was booed by those who supported the checks and those who opposed them. Many immediately berated council members for not taking definite action.
Councilwomen Wendy Davis and Becky Haskin and Mayor Pro Tem Ralph McCloud opposed tabling the resolutions.
"It's reprehensible," Davis said. "I was disgusted by it. Let's have these difficult discussions. Let's take these hard votes. I'd rather lose than have what happened here tonight."
The motion to table the resolutions was made by Councilman Jim Lane, who said the contentious debate was keeping the council from focusing on other city issues.
"This was never going to go away," Lane said. "It has divided the council, it has made people mad at each other, and it has kept us from getting our streets fixed or focusing on our after-school programs."
It will take the votes of five council members to put the proposals back on the agenda.
One of the resolutions, authored by Councilman Chuck Silcox, would have simply encouraged federal lawmakers to pass legislation requiring that background checks be conducted at the shows. The other, written by Davis, would have restricted the leasing of city facilities for gun shows so that only licensed dealers would be allowed to sell firearms.
Before the vote, it appeared that Davis' resolution would have been defeated. A majority of council members said they didn't think that the city has the legal power to impose such restrictions.
Like most states, Texas has laws intended to limit cities' attempts to impose local gun-related regulations. Trying to regulate the shows could open the city to a costly lawsuit, officials said.
"I would like all participants at gun shows to have background checks," Councilman Jeff Wentworth said. "But I think we are treading on very tight ground here."
Yesterday's decision not to make a decision was an anti-climactic temporary end to a months-long debate.
Before voting, council members listened to more than an hour of impassioned testimony from a standing-room-only audience, many of whom wore colored stickers bearing slogans like "Close the Loophole" or "Gun Shows: Honest Citizens, Honest Sales."
One of the most eloquent pleas for keeping the shows in city facilities came from Fort Worth resident Al Foster, whose daughter was murdered in 1984.
"If anyone had a reason to want guns to be outlawed, I would be that person," Foster said. "But my daughter was not murdered by a gun. Therefore my hatred should not be against those weapons, but against those who use those weapons.
"I don't want you to outlaw gun shows; I want you to prosecute the murderers."
But gun-regulation advocate Eunice Givens said the shows "pose an undesirable threat" to Fort Worth's image as an all-American city.
"Gun violence has erupted from the courthouse to church house, and I am appalled that these offensive activities are being held in facilities being paid for with my tax dollars," Givens said.
The city leased space to sponsors of 17 gun shows at the Fort Worth Convention Center and Will Rogers Memorial Center last year, generating about $98,000 in revenue, Public Events Director Kirk Slaughter has said.
Texas leads the nation in such shows, with 472 events held in 1998, according to a January 1999 report by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
In the report, the ATF found that 25 percent to 50 percent of vendors at most gun shows are unlicensed or private sellers. Those sellers are not subject to the federal Brady Act, which requires background checks on the national database.
That was the so-called gun-show loophole that some council members were trying to close with the now-tabled resolutions.
Ginger D. Richardson, (817) 390-7616
grichardson@star-telegram.com
-- 30 --
This was posted on the FreeRepublic board also, with some interesting points --
" 'Gun violence has erupted from the courthouse to church house, and I am appalled that these offensive activities are being held in facilities being paid for with my tax dollars,' Givens said.
The city leased space to sponsors of 17 gun shows at the Fort Worth Convention Center and Will Rogers Memorial Center last year, generating about $98,000 in revenue, Public Events Director Kirk Slaughter has said."
Assuming that the "$98,000 in revenue" is NET revenue delivered to the city, it appears that Mr. Givens (as usual for liberals), has his head up his a$$, and the gun shows are actually MAKING A PROFIT FOR THE CITY, and REDUCING his potential FUTURE tax burden. The facilities are either ALREADY PAID FOR (so his tax dollars have ALREADY BEEN SPENT), or they have bonds to be retired, so the PROFIT from the gun shows likely goes to pay off those bonds. Either way, Givens is an idiot." - Wonder Warthog
Interesting point II - no doubt this tactic will be used in your area:
"...the ATF found that 25 percent to 50 percent of vendors at most gun shows are unlicensed or private sellers"
The thing is, they count other kinds of vendors, too. Vendors of books, magazines, knives, crafts, and everything else under the sun. This makes up the 25-50% of vendors." - AKbear
------------------
"The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside
the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light." (Romans 13:12)
[This message has been edited by Oatka (edited August 09, 2000).]