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[Lynn Hey/News & Record via AP]
On Thursday, a group of Democrats from the House and Senate introduced legislation to encourage states to adopt "buy-side" laws for handguns, requiring buyers to obtain a license first. law enforcement agencies before legally obtaining firearms.
"Handgun licenses save lives for the same reasons that drivers do," Jamie Raskin, sponsor of House's sponsor in Maryland, said in a press release. "It keeps dangerous people away as much as possible."
The Law on the Licenses of Buyers of Handguns does not create a federal licensing program, but grants subsidies to states that create their own licensing systems. To qualify, states should require candidates to be 21 years of age or older, report to a police station, provide fingerprints and a photo, and submit to a background check.
Like background checks, the purchase permit laws have worked well. According to a national survey conducted in 2017, about three-quarters of Americans approve licenses, including nearly 60% of gun owners.
The Senate's co-sponsor, Chris Van Hollen, also from Maryland, has introduced similar bills since 2015. But it's the first time the bill is passed by a Democrat-controlled House. For the time being, the bill is unlikely to become law, as it is unlikely that a GOP-controlled Senate will take it over and that President Donald Trump is reluctant to stand out from the National Rifle Association, which is opposed to the laws relating to purchase permits.
Licensing of handguns is intended to achieve the same objective as verifying universal antecedents – by stopping the sale of weapons to prohibited buyers – with different means. A background check is conducted at the point of sale by electronically querying state and federal databases. If the audit reveals no prohibitory registration, such as a conviction for a crime or a court order for involuntary psychiatric engagement, the sale may take place. However, the buyer does not necessarily retain any type of check. And in most states, controls are only required for retail sales, leaving a wide loophole for unregulated private-to-private sales.
With a valid Purchase Permit Act, retail sellers or individuals may only transfer a firearm to another person if the purchaser has a license issued by the police . States often require candidates to appear in person at a police station to apply. The application process involves a standard background check, but may also include requirements for fingerprinting and training. Depending on the state, licenses are valid from 30 days to 10 years and applicants must be rechecked when they are renewed.
According to the Giffords Law Center, laws on the licensing of handguns are currently enforced in nine states and in the District of Columbia. In two other states, California and Washington, buyers must obtain a permit demonstrating their firearms safety skills.
The proposed purchase permit comes less than four months after the House passed a universal bill on background checks. But experts say that there is evidence that buy permit laws reduce gun violence more effectively than just background checks, which have mixed results in practice.
Handgun purchase licenses added to background checks make it easier to apply firearms prohibitions to known dangerous people, can deter people from making reckless decisions, and reduce homicides and suicides, according to a new white paper on handgun licenses released Thursday by the Johns Hopkins University Center for Gun Policy and Research.
"It's hard to hold someone responsible for not checking their background. It's easy for law enforcement to ask a vendor, "Have you seen the license?", Said Cassandra Crifasi, Johns Hopkins public health specialist and co-author of the paper. "And the application process could create an extra layer that, while not necessarily deterring someone from buying a firearm, could reduce impulse purchases in the same way as an audit of standard antecedents might not be. "
A number of additional studies have shown that buying permit laws help to reduce shooting. In contrast, the repeal of the laws is associated with a sharp increase in the number of crimes committed with a firearm. The Connecticut Purchase Permit Act, passed in 1995, is associated with a 40% decrease in firearm homicides and 15% in firearm suicides. In Missouri, at the same time, the repeal of the state's licensing requirement in 2007 was associated with a dramatic increase in firearm-related homicides and suicides.
"Of the thousands of Americans murdered each year by firearms, over 90% of these deaths occur with a handgun," Van Hollen said in a press release. "It has been proven that purchasing permit laws are changing this situation and we should do everything in our power to encourage states to put these programs in place."
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