Virginia Democrats are proposing background checks not for the purchase of firearm’s but for anyone looking to even hold a gun at a shooting range. Accidents happen and there have been people who have taken their own lives at a shooting range but this doesn’t seem like a proper policy solution to the problem. More from Virginia Mercury:
The idea has technical limitations. Federal law doesn’t require shooting ranges to conduct background checks for gun rentals, so range operators wouldn’t have access to the same federal database used for gun sales. But supporters of the bill say the Virginia State Police background check system can be used instead, though the agency would likely require some additional funding to handle the increased workload. The State Police estimate the bill would mean 200 additional background checks per day.
Opponents of the proposal argue it’s unworkable, saying it would create an onerous new process for shooting ranges that could discourage gun buyers from seeking hands-on safety training.
D.J. Spiker, Virginia director for the National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action, said range suicides are “exceptionally rare.”
“’It’s best left to ranges and Virginia State Police to come up with in-house policies to regulate this,” Spiker said.
This is only one of many new gun control measures that is being suggested in the state, with this is a gun ban on the state capitol grounds, a ban on guns at polling places, and a ban on so called “ghost guns”. Local legislation often spreads like wildfire if passed and shows any sign of “success”, when it comes to gun control measures there are no real markers for success outside of the legislation passing. If Chicago and Detroit are case studies than a reduction in gun violence is not required for gun control legislation to be considered “successful” by its proponents.
