Can America’s firearm retailers be part of the solution to the misuse of guns in crimes, suicides and accidents?
My trade group, the American Firearms Retailers Association, was the only firearm industry organization to attend President Barack Obama’s and CNN’s Guns in America Town Hall Meeting earlier this month.
Interestingly, American Firearm Retailers already meet all the requirements of the President’s executive action. Yet from our point of view, there is work to be done on the enforcement side of the regulations to keep society safer. Criminals are generally not prosecuted for attempting to buy a firearm once they fail a background check at a firearm retailer.
We have essentially educated those prohibited buyers to go purchase anywhere besides a gun store. AFRA members don’t have access to the stolen gun database to check guns that are traded in or sold to us. How can we help control the trading of stolen firearms without that tool?
There are no gun trafficking laws on the books, so “straw purchasers” (when a legal buyer purchases for a nonlegal buyer) can buy legally and sell illegally with immunity. And yes, those running illegal businesses selling guns need to be stopped.
American firearm retailers and their gun ranges are an important source of structured firearm safety education and firearm safety products in America.
We teach firearm safety, train how to shoot safely, teach self protection, teach the laws regarding the legal use of firearms, educate on safe storage methods to keep guns out of prohibited hands and provide safe methods for transporting firearms.
We are trained to identify illegal “straw purchases.” We run the background checks mandated by our government. We are accountable for keeping perfect books of our firearm acquisitions and dispositions and are audited by the ATF on a regular basis. We observe and prohibit transfers to individuals who appear under the influence or are mentally challenged.
American firearm retailers are, in essence, enforcers of firearm safety in the United States. And we are your neighbors.
We live in your communities; we have kids in your schools, relatives in your workplaces, churches and government. We have a vested interest in the safety of our communities because we are you. We are repulsed by violence, by loved ones taking their own lives and by accidents that can be avoided.
But we need your help. There is certainly a problem in America with folks using firearms for nefarious things. Law enforcement needs help solving and stopping crimes by those who would use firearms. Mental health providers and communities need to get a better grasp on how to prevent suicides. And we need help educating even more in our society.
So can American firearm retailers be the solution? You decide.
But who among the “gun control” crowd is doing more than the American firearm retailer to provide our communities with firearms safety education, firearm safety products and enforcement of our laws to protect us all from crime, injury and deaths from the misuse of firearms?
Being exhausted with political posturing and rigid banter vocalized by both sides, I encourage and welcome a reach out from any group that would really like to lessen the negative impact of firearms on society today. My organization is a major piece in solving this puzzle.
American firearm retailers help protect our nation, are the leaders in firearm safety, are contributing members of society and our livelihood depends on serving our local communities and keeping them healthy and safe.
We will not posture when there is work to be done, and there is always work to be done when it comes to community safety.