HB 78: "Universal" Background Checks gun control bill reintroduced in Ohio

Judging by HB 78, one of his latest gun control bills introduced in the Ohio House, Rep. Bill Patmon (D) seems unable to grasp the idea that criminals do not typically submit themselves to background checks, and that even when a prohibited person is stopped by a background check procedure, no one prosecutes them for the crime they just committed.

In the immediate aftermath of the terrible attack on Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT some two years ago, President Obama claimed that as many as 40 percent of gun purchases take place without a background check (Remarks by the President, March 28, 2013). Using 20-year-old data, he suggested that requiring background checks for all gun purchases will reduce gun violence by keeping dangerous people from acquiring firearms.

To determine if the 40 percent estimate was still accurate in 2013, Think22three, a Lebanon, OH- based gun, crime and public policy research organization, surveyed more than 300 individuals actively involved in the firearms market to determine where they purchased their two most recent firearms and whether or not a background check was conducted. The result? Most firearms are purchased from licensed dealers who conduct background checks. A much smaller percentage of firearms are purchased privately without a background check. This is particularly important when considering the types of firearms typically involved in crime.

"Policy makers aren't looking at current data," stated Jeff Monroe, Ph.D. and president of Think22three.

When asked about their most recent two firearms purchases, 89.7 percent of gun-owning survey respondents stated that they purchased their firearms from a dealer that conducted a background check.

"Separating the data by the type of firearm purchased clarifies firearms purchases further. Shotguns, for example, are far less likely than revolvers, pistols and rifles to be purchased from a dealer conducting a background check," states Monroe. They are also less likely to be used in a crime.

According to Monroe, nearly 26 percent of shotguns are acquired from family members, friends or private sellers a type of sale not currently subject to background checks.

"When we look at purchases of semi-automatic pistols, a type of firearm used more often than a shotgun to commit a crime, we know that nearly 93 percent of respondents who purchased pistols used a background check," says Monroe. "This is consistent with prior research that shows that background checks do not decrease gun violence.”

Jeff Monroe points out that, as a policy matter, it is interesting that shotguns are the most likely to be purchased without a background check and the least likely type of firearm to be used in a crime.

Monroe states that "there is no evidence that requiring background checks for all gun purchases will reduce gun violence." A universal background check system may make it more difficult for potential offenders to acquire firearms because they would no longer be able to purchase from gun owners that wish to remain law-abiding. "There is every reason to believe" Monroe says, "if background checks are required on the secondary market, motivated offenders will find a tertiary market ready and able to supply them with their wares."

Unfortunately, despite the facts noted above, and despite the fact that states where such laws were passed are now admitting they are not working, Rep. Patmon has chosen to reintroduce his "universal" background check bill, this time as HB 78.

Want to give a gun to your great-grandson under Patmon's bill? Ask the government's permission.

Want to sell a gun to your brother? Ask the government's permission.

What to invite a friend over to show her how a gun operates because she is considering buying one herself? Ask the government's permission.

Want to sell a gun to a hunting buddy? Ask the government's permission.

Want to loan a gun to a co-worker whose abusive ex-husband just found out where she works? Ask the government's permission.

Want to clean a friend's slug gun in deer camp? Ask the government's permission.

Want to teach a firearms safety class in a classroom space that is not located at a shooting range? Ask the government's permission.

Want to purchase a gun in any way, shape or form? Prepare to have the transaction reported to the U.S. Attorney General.

Want to purchase more than one handgun in a 5 day period? Prepare to have the transaction reported to the U.S. Attorney General.

Want to pass something that will truly have an impact on preventing multiple victim public shootings and other crimes committed with firearms? Then don't have anything to do with Rep. Patmon's nonsense.

Chad D. Baus is the Buckeye Firearms Association Secretary, BFA PAC Vice Chairman, and an NRA-certified firearms instructor. He is the editor of BuckeyeFirearms.org, which received the Outdoor Writers of Ohio 2013 Supporting Member Award for Best Website.