The 1986 Act also restricted the Bureau of Alcohol , Tobacco and Firearms from conducting repetitive inspections, reduced the amount of record-keeping required of gun dealers, raised the burden of proof for convicting gun law violators, and changed restrictions on convicted felons from owning firearms.
There are many sensible ways to control guns that don't come close to banning them outright, including: micro-stamping; the required use of gun locks in homes; the repeal of "stand your ground" laws around the country; bans or prohibitively high taxes on armor-piercing rounds and "extra-lethal" ammunition; a bill making it illegal to traffic or assist in the trafficking of a firearm.
The measures in Colorado and Oregon require buyers of guns from unlicensed dealers to pass the same kind of criminal background checks that federally licensed dealers are required to perform, and they bring to 11 the number of states in which all sales are now treated the same.
They tend not to require state inspection of gun dealers, or require owners to report lost and stolen guns to police.
Most states don't require mandatory reporting of gun thefts, and few states require that police report stolen guns to the feds.
Since then, the gun lobby and its all-too-willing Congressional enablers have managed to block all efforts to require buyers at weekend gun shows to undergo the same background checks required of buyers at federally registered gun shops.
Similar exceptions and legal loopholes that allow unlicensed dealers to sell firearms without running the background checks on buyers that are required of licensed dealers have allowed gun shows to thrive, prompting recent calls for reform.
There is a law in place -- the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993 requires gun stores to check the names of buyers against a database of felons, substance users and domestic abusers -- but it's far too easy to get around if you purchase a firearm at a gun show or online.
In addition to barring an array of assault weapons, California requires all gun sales to be made through a licensed dealer, and mandates background checks and a 10-day waiting period for all purchases.
Would require background checks of gun buyers at gun shows, even when the seller was a private citizen, not a gun dealer.
