The Brady Campaign is busy using the anniversary of the Virginia Tech tragedy, which has precisely nothing to do with gun shows, to promote their campaign to close the “loophole.” Personally, I plan to do something very different. Shortly I will walk through the “loophole,” not once, but twice.
One of the guys I shoot with at the club has been selling off bits of his collection. Last year I bought an M1903-A3 from him using this dreaded loophole. How he’s selling his M1 Garand. As it is, I already have an M1 Garand, but mine was made in 1955, so it’s a late production run. The one he’s selling was made in 1941, and is in pretty good condition. So I might want to make an upgrade. The 1941 model has more historical value, and would still be a decent shooter.
But I don’t have a need for two M1 Garands, so a friend of mine who’s blogged here once before when his Calico M950 blew up on him, is in the market for a new piece, so I figured selling my M1 to him might work out well. So sometime in the next week or two I’m going to buying an M1 Garand made in 1941 through the dreaded “Gun Show Loophole,” then using the same dreaded “Gun Show Loophole,” to sell my current M1 to a friend.
The Brady folks would like you to believe the vast majority of private gun transfers are from one stranger to another stranger, who clearly runs a good chance of being a violent criminal, or some kind of NRA XXXL t-shirt wearing tea party domestic terrorist. But most of them take on the character of what I’m trying to do. Close the gun show “loophole” and force me through an FFL, at the going rates in the Philadelphia area, it would add anywhere from 70 to 100 dollars to the cost of doing this transaction. All so we could make sure people I know for a fact aren’t criminals get the background check. Maybe that’s worth 100 dollars of my money to the Brady folks, but it’s not to me.
More then just preventing sales between law abiding owners (which, certainly, this would do) this puts the boot heel on shows. And shows are a critical focus point for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms community. This is where people get together to talk about elections and the latest tripe to squish down the pike from their state capitol. And Brady group knows it. This would be a huge step in their incremental push against firearms ownership and it’s one important reason why we need to be out there not just pushing back on the “loophole” nonsense, but talking to our friends about the importance of electing -leaders- who won’t just restate the nonsense dished out by the control nuts.
That’s nothing – I sold a Walther P22 & S&W 442 just a few days ago to fund the purchase of a Kimber Ultra Carry.
Thats three guns & three calibers in two days :)
The Brady Bunch will also never give up trying to close that pesky old “Close Family Member and Lifelong Friends Since Childhood Loophole” too, right?
Did the exact same thing in reverse a few years back. My buddy had the chance to buy an M1 Garand which had documentation showing it was a WW2 bring-back rifle. I bought his old Garand so he could buy that.
My Garand is from 1941. Bought it from the CMP, its in (in my opinion) great shape – though not Excellent or Original condition.