Plain Dealer: NRA Reaches Compromise On Possible Gun Control Bill

By Chris Chumita

The Cleveland Plain Dealer is reporting that the National Rifle Association (NRA) and senior Democrats have reached an agreement on a possible gun control bill.

The agreement could lead the the passage of the first major federal gun control legislation since the Clinton Assault Rifle Ban in 1994.

Click 'Read More' for the entire article.

The possible legislation and the negotiations between the National Rifle Association and the current administration is a direct result of the recent massacre at Virginia Tech.

The agreement would require states to keep their database files up to date in order to make the NICS more accurate, it also appears that it would require states to report when an individual was committed to a mental institution for treatment. In the agreement, states could be fined for failing to comply with the new guidelines, but would be rewarded financially if they did.

In return for the compromise, the National Rifle Association managed to get several concessions. According to the article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the concessions were:

Individuals with minor infractions in their pasts could petition their states to have their names removed from the federal database, and about 83,000 military veterans, put into the system by the Department of Veterans Affairs in 2000 for alleged mental health reasons, would have a chance to clean their records.

The federal government would be barred permanently from charging gun buyers or sellers a fee for their background checks. In addition, faulty records such as duplicative names or expunged convictions would have to be scrubbed from the database.

The newspaper notes that these negotiations have not recieved strong support from all pro-Second Amendment organizations.

Gun Owners of America (GOA) has long opposed ANY legislation that would infringe on or limit our rights in any way. You can read their response to the negotiations here.

Despite the concerns of some, the National Rifle Association vows that it will continue to support the compromise in its current form. However, they state that they will oppose it if it becomes a "gun control wish list."

"We've been on record for decades for keeping firearms out of the
hands of the mentally adjudicated," said Chris Cox, the NRA's chief lobbyist. "It's not only good
policy, it's good politics."

But Cox warned that if the legislation becomes a "gun-control wish
list" as it moves through Congress, the NRA will withdraw its support
and work against the bill.

The Buckeye Firearms Association will continue to follow this story and its impact on our Second Amendment rights.