By Jonathan Allen
NEW YORK
(Reuters) - Thousands of guns are being offered for sale illegally by
unlicensed firearms dealers on a single U.S. website, according to a
report released on Thursday by a group of U.S. mayors campaigning for
gun control.
Mayors Against
Illegal Guns, founded and largely funded by New York Mayor Michael
Bloomberg, examined sales on Armslist.com, a major gun-trading website
that enables sales in all 50 states, over an eight-week period this
year.
It said nearly a third
of the ads posted were from "high-volume" sellers who lacked the federal
license required of individuals who regularly sell firearms.
Private sellers are generally allowed to sell a gun legally online
without checking the buyer's criminal record and mental-health history,
although rules governing such sales differ from state to state. Anyone
engaged "in the business" of selling guns is required by federal law to
have a license and to perform background checks on buyers.
Based on its sample, the mayors' group estimated that nearly 240,000
guns would be advertised on the website in a year by high-volume sellers
posing as private sellers who would not necessarily require background
checks.
"These findings tell
us that law enforcement, legislators and web sites all need to take
steps to choke off this potentially deadly stream of illegal firearms
sales," Bloomberg said in a statement.
He noted that the report was being released just two days before the
anniversary of a mass shooting at an elementary school in Newtown,
Connecticut, in which a gunman killed 20 children and six adults.
"Nothing has changed in Washington since Newtown," Bloomberg said.
In spite of outrage provoked by the Newtown shooting, a gun control
bill endorsed by President Barack Obama stalled in the U.S. Senate
earlier this year, with gun rights advocates arguing that free access to
guns is a constitutional right.
Gun control advocates, including
some from Newtown, gathered at the National Cathedral in Washington on
Thursday to mark this week's Newtown anniversary.
The "National Vigil for Victims of Gun Violence," attended by about 500
people, was organized by the nonprofit Newtown Foundation and the
cathedral, both of which back a tightening of federal gun laws.
The Reverend Mel Kawakami of Newtown's United Methodist Church urged the
activists to "work toward a world where there are no more school
shootings."We gather to say, No more!" he said.
In September, the mayors' group estimated that as many as 25,000 guns a
year may be sold on Armslist.com to people with criminal records.
Armslist.com offers a disclaimer that it "does not become involved in
any transactions between parties" and its users must agree that they
will not break the law. The website's operators did not immediately
respond to a request for comment.
Bloomberg, one of the most prominent and wealthy advocates of tighter
U.S. gun laws, steps down as mayor at the end of the year, but has said
he will remain active on the issue.
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This article is so full of bullshit that it hurts to read it.
On another note Bloomberg I got a message for you!
So where did the guns come from in all these deadly killings? Oh, you mean they were bought LEGALLY???? So what does this have to do with that ??????
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