Biden says Administration Doesn't Have Time to Prosecute People Who Lie on Background Checks

[lostinblue 1,989]

Biden says Administration Doesn't Have Time to Prosecute People Who Lie on Background Checks

Posted on January 18, 2013

As has been widely reported, an NRA representative recently met with an Obama administration-directed firearm task force led by longtime gun control supporter Vice-President Joe Biden. It came as no surprise that the meeting had little to do with keeping our children safe and much to do with an agenda to attack the Second Amendment. But you may be surprised to know one of the revelations that came out of the meeting.

Jim Baker, NRA-ILA's Director of Federal Affairs, represented NRA at the meeting. As detailed in a recent Daily Caller article, Mr. Baker was given five minutes to present NRA's concerns and the approach NRA saw as being the most effective way to safeguard our children. During those five minutes, Baker mentioned the need to vigorously prosecute existing gun laws. He further noted the low number of prosecutions for falsifying information on Form 4473s, and the low felony prosecution rate for gun crimes in general.

In response to Mr. Baker's comments, Vice-President Biden said, "And to your point, Mr. Baker, regarding the lack of prosecutions on lying on Form 4473s, we simply don't have the time or manpower to prosecute everybody who lies on a form, that checks a wrong box, that answers a question inaccurately." That's right: Biden said the administration just doesn't have time to prosecute crimes (felonies punishable by up to a 10-year prison sentence) under existing laws, but is proposing a host of sweeping new laws.

According to federal statistics cited in the Daily Caller article, in 2010, prosecutors considered just 22 cases of information falsification, and 40 additional background-check cases ended up before prosecutors for reasons related to unlawful gun possession. Prosecutors pursued just 44 of those 62 cases, although more than 72,600 applications were denied on the basis of a background check. Overall, gun prosecutions per capita in 2011 were down 35 percent from the previous administration's peak in 2004.

"We think it is problematic when the administration takes lightly the prosecutions under existing gun laws and yet does not seem to have a problem promoting a whole host of other gun laws," said Baker. "If we are not going to enforce the laws that are on the books, it not only engenders disrespect for the law but it makes law-abiding gun owners wonder why we are going through this exercise we are going through now."

Commenting on the administration's inability to prosecute persons who lie to obtain a firearm, NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris W. Cox said, "They don't have time to pursue people who are dangerous, who aren't supposed to get guns, and the message they have sent is literally 'Good luck, go get them elsewhere.' You can talk all you want," Cox continued, "but until there is a will to follow through, then it is literally just going to paper over the problem and guarantee that bad people continue to have access to firearms and good people will be blamed for it."

http://www.nraila.org/news-issues/articles/2013/1/biden-says-administration-doesn't-have-time-to-prosecute-people-who

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Your link from the lobbying arm of the NRA quoting the Daily Caller on what the NRA rep thought Biden said in a closed meeting does not work.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Your link from the lobbying arm of the NRA quoting the Daily Caller on what the NRA rep thought Biden said in a closed meeting does not work.

But that's al he's got. So you're saying he's got nothing?

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

There is no political "hay" in it.

In case no one has figured out, the most recent shooting in DC will NOT result in any new fireams laws being passed by congress and any attempt to do so will fuel record sales of guns, record increases in NRA membership and record transfer of wealth TO the NRA

They gave this shooter a TS clearance and ignored warnings that he was a nutjob. Suggesting background checks would help anything is ridiculous.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Your link from the lobbying arm of the NRA quoting the Daily Caller on what the NRA rep thought Biden said in a closed meeting does not work.

So ignore that, and consider the recall election in Colorado and the fact that the shootings fell like a lead ballon over congress. way too close to the primary season for elected officials to be pandering to fascists.

But keep trying, the NRA likes the money and the manufacturers like the gun sales increases.

There will be no new federal firearms legislation. They aren't even going to make speeches at this point. WAY too close to elections and they just had their reality checked in Colorado.

Deal with it..

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

But that's al he's got. So you're saying he's got nothing?

Here are some other fun facts for you.

Colorado has had ONE recall election in its history. It was about guns. The ones who supported gun legislation got ousted. The ousted Dems sent more than 10 times the money on their attempt to keep their jobs than the NRA did in tossing them out. There has been no new Federal firearms legislation since 1994. It was repealed 10 years later and there has been no attempt to re-instate it. The people that voted for it got ousted and Dems lost control of the House for the first time in 50 years.

Primary election season begins in January

The last time they tried this, after 20 little children were gunned down...nothing happened.

Attempts at this type of legislation result in huge increases in NRA membership, firearms sales and funding increases for the NRA

It is Friday. the Navy Yard shootings are already out the news. Further news about it is only going to embarass Obama who already Fedex'd his BALLS to Vladmir Putin. It is going to be hard for congress to insist they need to restrict American srights to "prevent" someone they gave a TS clearance to from getting a gun.

Except for the few clueless "usual suspects" posting on VJ this is a non-issue

all 50 states have concealed carry, we have the repealed the GCA '68. the AWB, have passed legilsation to protect fireamrs manufacturers from lawsuits, passed the FOPA of '86, Heller decision, McDonald decision, 7th circuit decision that concealed carry is a RIGHT forcing IL to issue CC licenses, Colorado recall...

There will be no new federal firearms legislation.

Other than that ...we have nothing

[himher 634]

This isn't a new story. Annually thousands of felons walk into a store in the premeditated act of purchasing a gun, lie on the background check, get turned down, and freely walk out untouched to find another way to prey on us even though they commit a crime by doing so. Nothing is ever done about it because there is zero concern by the government to keep such people off the street. Even when the FBI recommends that they be prosecuted they never are. They Obama administration is too busy investigating the people who defend themselves against them.

Summary: Nobody in Washington or anywhere else gives two shts about protecting us from violence. This is why we will always insist on the right and ability to protect ourselves.