Kevyn wrote:
In the recent past Donald Trump was a strong supporter of the assault rifle ban. This afternoon he is meeting with victims of school assault rifle attacks. Trump is a man who changes his mind and is often influenced by the last people to talk to him. My question is this, if he supports an assault weapon ban, ban on high capacity magazines, universal background checks or other sensible legislation will you continue to support him?
If any of those bans made any sense, Trump might support them. However, Trump is not suggesting any of that. He has asked the DOJ to look at ways to strengthen the NICS system, and he suggested arming teachers willing to volunteer for the necessary training and qualifications to carry. He is also talking about promoting concealed carry and possibly getting rid of reciprocity laws.
FYI: you cannot buy an "assault" rifle at a gun store, gun show, sporting goods store, outfitter or online dealer. Full auto weapons are not on sale to the public, they are issued only to law enforcement and military. If you want to buy a full auto firearm, you will have to pay the fees and meet all ATF requirements to qualify for a valid Class 3 FFL.
The capacity of a semi-auto magazine is irrelevant. A shooter can drop an empty mag, insert a loaded one, and be ready to shoot in less than 2 seconds. With a little practice, the reload time can be cut to a second.
No one has tried to define exactly what "universal background check" means and how it would differ from the existing NICS program. NICS, run by the FBI, is used by Federal Firearms Licensed Dealers in all 50 states and is mandated in 30 states.
A possible definition of a universal background check appeared on a proposed referendum;
background checks of criminal and mental health history record information for all transfers of ownership or possession of firearms, including transfers which occur at gun shows, over the Internet and privately, as a step toward preventing the ownership or possession of firearms by criminals and those with serious mental illnesses, and as a step toward preventing illegal gun trafficking altogether. There are a number of reasons why a "universal background check" won't work. The NICS database already contains the ID data on criminals who have been convicted of a crime. It is impossible to include the IDs of criminals who have never been arrested and convicted.
Democrats blocked every attempt to include in the NICS system the IDs of those adjudicated as mentally ill or unstable. The argument was that doing so would violate the privacy of the doctor/patient relationship.
The requirement that an NICS background check be done before a private sale can be made is also futile. Last election Nevada passed a proposition requiring that very thing. I asked a sheriff's deputy how this could be enforced. He said it couldn't, that it would be a waste of time and resources to even try.