A reporter tries to exploit the gun show loophole in Minnesota and finds it’s more difficult than he thought. What prompted him? Well, this:
Paymar [sponsor of gun show bill in MN] has never fired a handgun, nor has he ever attended a gun show. He was moved to act, he says, after seeing a YouTube clip. In it, Colin Goddard, a Virginia Tech massacre survivor who was shot four times, attends gun shows and successfully buys firearms without undergoing a background check or even being asked to show identification.
So I decided to try to buy a gun. To hear the Citizens for a Safer Minnesota tell it, this would be an easy task. I didn’t have a permit, but surely these gun merchants would insist I purchase their wares, federal red tape be damned. I might even enjoy it.
And he found out no one would sell one to him. He tried a few private buys and got no takers. What follows is a description of the gun show culture we’re all familiar with. Only it’s a fair description.
Minnesota has a permit to purchase system that most states don’t have. In order to purchase a handgun in MN you have to have the permission of the county sheriff (who runs a background check, etc.) — that’s what prevented this guy from buying a handgun (that and the private sellers knew the law and enforced it).
But if he was in Arizona, all he would need is a valid AZ driver’s license for a private sale — and anyone can get one. I don’t think that the so-called ‘gun show loophole’ is a big problem, but there should be some mechanism by which a private seller can make sure that the person he’s selling to is not a criminal. Something like “FELON” stamped on the front of state issued ID cards issued to ex-cons might work.
North Carolina also requires a permit to purchase, but a CC permit will double as that.
Not sure about Minnesota law, but wouldn’t the attempt to purchase without having a permit be a violation?
Dunno about NC, but in NJ of all places it is not a violation to attempt to purchase without a permit, only to transfer without (both participants are violating). Private transfers are permitted if the appropriate paperwork is present and filed.