Firearm background checks should be state responsibility

The idea for creating the National Instant Check System, was originated by the National Rifle Association to prevent institution of a national waiting period for firearm purchases. From a gun-rights perspective, it was perhaps the greatest blunder the NRA ever made.

If you place any value on your right to own a weapon, expansions of this system such as those contained in I-594 are the road to armageddon, and no additional laws will even be needed to make it happen.

NICS reportedly denies around 70,000 to 80,000 purchases every year. You may have wondered why those who are denied are not arrested on the spot or visited at their homes. At this point, the Feds need to keep the system looking innocuous or else fear of the system will hamper expanding it. Their aim is to expand the system to where you cannot avoid it if you want to own weapons. For example, before the system was expanded a few years ago to cover state law on concealed pistol licenses, at the urging of the NRA and affiliated state gun lobby groups, it was possible to avoid the system and still carry a weapon by going through a state check for your license, which is far less subject to creative denials than the federal one. Now if you want to carry a weapon, every five years you will have to wonder what new ways to misread the laws or your own background information they have dreamed up. In exchange for that they threw us a cookie, licenses holders can forgo checks for purchases. But what they got in return is that license holders are now trapped in the system too. They only have to get you with that system once.

The days of terror are still a way off, but if NICS is expanded to cover all sales and transfers, as well as carry permits, that’s when it begins. When they feel the system is sufficiently inescapable, that’s when the visits will begin. And the prosecutions.

People who are denied will be visited at home by either the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives or local law enforcement and asked if there are any guns or ammunition on the premises. It’ll be a tough question to get out of, with the people being on record as gun owners. If the answer is yes, they can be charged with a ten-year felony for every weapon and round of ammunition in their possession.

You needn’t be a hardened criminal either, as NICS is famous for its inventive reasons for denials. And there are ongoing efforts to deny people for “suspect” activity that gets them put on subjective “watch lists.” Ever made a heated blog posting? The day is coming when that will be enough. And you folks on the left, you’re not exempt from that either. Who the “potential terrorists” are depends on who’s in office.

Whatever the reason they find to deny you, even if completely bogus, once that denial is issued then by law you are a criminal for possessing a weapon. Perhaps you’ll beat the charges, eventually. Perhaps you’ll get it mitigated down. But at what cost, in money and time, loss of employment and family, personal and business relations?

NICS provides no way for people to do a “test check,” because they want you to be trapped by your signature. When the system is being abused to its fullest potential to destroy lives, how many people will be willing to sign that form? As they already know, not many. And that’s the plan.

What needs to happen is for NICS to be dismantled and the responsibility for background checks returned to the states, where we have at least a little bit of control over our officials. In the meantime, be careful what you vote for. This future is what the supporters of NICS expansions really have in store for us.

Kevin Schmadeka is an Everett resident.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Opinion

Initiative promoter Tim Eyman takes a selfie photo before the start of a session of Thurston County Superior Court, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021, in Olympia, Wash. Eyman, who ran initiative campaigns across Washington for decades, will no longer be allowed to have any financial control over political committees, under a ruling from Superior Court Judge James Dixon Wednesday that blasted Eyman for using donor's contributions to line his own pocket. Eyman was also told to pay more than $2.5 million in penalties. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Editorial: Initiative fee increase protects process, taxpayers

Bumped up to $156 from $5, the increase may discourage attempts to game the initiative process.

toon
Editorial cartoons for Thursday, March 28

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

Washington state senators and representatives along with Governor Inslee and FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez break ground at the Swift Orange Line on Tuesday, April 19, 2022 in Lynnwood, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Editorial: Community Transit making most of Link’s arrival

The Lynnwood light rail station will allow the transit agency to improve routes and frequency of buses.

Protecting forests and prevent another landslide like Oso

Thank you for the powerful and heartbreaking article about the Oso landslide… Continue reading

Boeing’s downfall started when engineers demoted

Boeing used to be run by engineers who made money to build… Continue reading

Learn swimming safety to protect kids at beach, pool

Don’t forget to dive into water safety before hitting the pool or… Continue reading

An image of Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin is reflected in a storefront window during the State of the City Address on Thursday, March 21, 2024, at thee Everett Mall in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Editorial: State of city address makes case for Everett’s future

Mayor Franklin outlines challenges and responses as the city approaches significant decisions.

FILE - The massive mudslide that killed 43 people in the community of Oso, Wash., is viewed from the air on March 24, 2014. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
Editorial: Mapping landslide risks honors those lost in Oso

Efforts continue in the state to map areas prone to landslides and prevent losses of life and property.

Comment: Why shootings have decreased but gun deaths haven’t

High-capacity magazines and ‘Glock switches’ that allow automatic fire have increased lethality.

toon
Editorial cartoons for Wednesday, March 27

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

Burke: ‘Why not write about Biden, for once?’ Don’t mind if I do.

They asked; I’ll oblige. Let’s consider what the president has accomplished since the 2020 election.

Comment: Catherine missed chance to dispel shame of cancer

She wasn’t obligated to do so, but she might have used her diagnosis to educate a sympathetic public.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.