• We are now running on a new, and hopefully much-improved, server. In addition we are also on new forum software. Any move entails a lot of technical details and I suspect we will encounter a few issues as the new server goes live. Please be patient with us. It will be worth it! :) Please help by posting all issues here.
  • The forum will be down for about an hour this weekend for maintenance. I apologize for the inconvenience.
  • If you are having trouble seeing the forum then you may need to clear your browser's DNS cache. Click here for instructions on how to do that
  • Please review the Forum Rules frequently as we are constantly trying to improve the forum for our members and visitors.

Voluntary Background Checks at Gun Shows

TFred

TFred

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 13, 2008
Messages
7,750
Location
Most historic town in, Virginia, USA
I thought there might have been a report on this already, but I couldn't find one. Today is August 7th, so we're one month and one week into the new law requiring the VSP to set up voluntary background checks at gun shows. I have read reports from an earlier show that there had been THREE checks during that particular weekend. (ETA: Further research reminded me that the news reports were from Saturday only, at a Richmond gun show on July 9th. I never did see the total from that show.)

I stopped by the Fredericksburg gun show this afternoon, and spoke with the very nice young lady at the VSP table that was set up to conduct voluntary background checks.

At 3:55, five minutes before the show ended, there had been ZERO voluntary checks conducted at the show this weekend.

Interestingly, she told me that they had some how set up their computer system so that all the FFL background checks conducted during the show were routed to her, so, where before any problems would have been handled by e-mail or telephone to someone in Richmond, now there was a "background checker" on site to actually go talk to if anything came up. That seems like a good thing.

She was optimistic that as time goes on, more people will become aware of the option and the numbers will go up. I guess we'll see. They certainly can't go down.

TFred
 
Last edited:
davidmcbeth

davidmcbeth

Banned
Joined
Jan 14, 2012
Messages
16,167
Location
earth's crust
Will they also do BR chks for folks to exercise their first amendment, 4th and 5th (etc) amendment rights too? How exciting.
 
F

Firearms Iinstuctor

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 12, 2011
Messages
3,430
Location
northern wis
I would think after awhile the VSP would get very tired of wasting funds for nothing.

Easy duty for the person conducting the checks sit at a table all day getting paid.
 
TFred

TFred

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 13, 2008
Messages
7,750
Location
Most historic town in, Virginia, USA
Firearms Iinstuctor said:
I would think after awhile the VSP would get very tired of wasting funds for nothing.

Easy duty for the person conducting the checks sit at a table all day getting paid.
Click to expand...
The lady I spoke with was quick to point out that her being there running the local FFL checks was a great benefit, so therefore, no taxpayer dollars were being wasted.

Seriously. That's where she took the conversation.

ETA: And I suppose she would have been sitting at an office in Richmond, doing the same thing, if she had not been sitting at a table in Fredericksburg. So maybe travel costs were added?

TFred
 
Last edited:
Maverick9

Maverick9

Regular Member
Joined
Apr 7, 2013
Messages
1,404
Location
Mid-atlantic
TFred said:
I thought there might have been a report on this already, but I couldn't find one. Today is August 7th, so we're one month and one week into the new law requiring the VSP to set up voluntary background checks at gun shows.
TFred
Click to expand...

I don't understand what this is about. A law requiring the Va State Police to do voluntary background checks?

On pedestrians? On people buying T-shirts with Don't Tread on Me emblems? On people buying knives or beef jerky?

What is the point? Is it people want to know if they have a record? Every gun show we have attended have -mandatory- background checks when buying firearms.

Don't most people already know if they are felons? Or is this a way to sneak in and purchase a firearm by checking to see if a felony you know you have (perhaps elsewhere?) is on the books in Virginia. That sounds crazy.

Please explain like I'm five. :D

OK nevermind. Apparently the VSP and private sellers did not have access to the database

Voluntary Background Checks at Firearms Shows:

- Currently, only firearms dealers with a federal firearms license (FFL) can access the National Instant Checks System (NICS) to perform background checks on firearms purchases/transfers.

- The Virginia State Police cannot access the system on behalf of private citizens selling or transferring firearms.

- This bill would give the Virginia State Police statutory authority to perform background checks on behalf of private citizens at firearms shows, which is required by the FBI.

- Private sellers feel it is their civic duty to obtain the results of a background check prior to selling or transferring a firearm and they currently do not have the ability to access background checks for this purpose. This would allow them access on voluntary cases.

- This bill requires the Virginia State Police to be present at every firearms show in the Commonwealth to perform background checks on a voluntary basis.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
TFred

TFred

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 13, 2008
Messages
7,750
Location
Most historic town in, Virginia, USA
Maverick9 said:
OK nevermind. Apparently [strike]the VSP and[/strike] private sellers did not have access to the database
Click to expand...
Yep, this, with slight adjustment. VSP had the access, but not the authority to use it on behalf of private sales. Until the new law took effect.

According to some people, there has been a large demand from private sellers to have a way to run background checks. So far, the actual numbers do not seem to support this claim.

TFred
 
Thundar

Thundar

Regular Member
Joined
Sep 12, 2007
Messages
4,946
Location
Newport News, Virginia, USA
I wonder what the Virginia State Police capacity for conducting background checks at gun shows is? Gun shows are usually big events, but.... there could be a weekend where many small gun shows were held....:idea:
 
2a4all

2a4all

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 1, 2008
Messages
1,846
Location
Newport News, Virginia, USA
TFred said:
I thought there might have been a report on this already, but I couldn't find one. Today is August 7th, so we're one month and one week into the new law requiring the VSP to set up voluntary background checks at gun shows. I have read reports from an earlier show that there had been THREE checks during that particular weekend. (ETA: Further research reminded me that the news reports were from Saturday only, at a Richmond gun show on July 9th. I never did see the total from that show.)

I stopped by the Fredericksburg gun show this afternoon, and spoke with the very nice young lady at the VSP table that was set up to conduct voluntary background checks.

At 3:55, five minutes before the show ended, there had been ZERO voluntary checks conducted at the show this weekend.

Interestingly, she told me that they had some how set up their computer system so that all the FFL background checks conducted during the show were routed to her, so, where before any problems would have been handled by e-mail or telephone to someone in Richmond, now there was a "background checker" on site to actually go talk to if anything came up. That seems like a good thing.

She was optimistic that as time goes on, more people will become aware of the option and the numbers will go up. I guess we'll see. They certainly can't go down.

TFred
Click to expand...
Tfred:

I think I'm the one who reported the three BG Checks (which happened the 1st day of the RIR Gun Show in early July) and was reported in the media (RTD I think).

I also checked with (likely) the same young lady at the Hampton Gun Show in mid-July, and she admitted that the total was still THREE.

While there may have been some checks run between then and your show, it does seem like the demand is far short of popular perception. Of course, the missing statistic is the actual number of private sales, which I strongly believe is much greater than THREE.

Perhaps the VCDL Gun Show Coordinators could check with her at each of their shows for updates?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top