-Caveat Lector- from: http://www.aci.net/kalliste/ <A HREF="http://www.aci.net/kalliste/">The Home Page of J. Orlin Grabbe</A> ----- Internet Commerce Bill Seeks to Regulate Internet Gun Sales Otherwise liberals like Kangas might buy one to go with their Jack Daniels Less than two weeks after the popular online auctioneer eBay suspended sales of firearms on its Web site, Senator Charles E. Schumer Democrat of New York, has introduced legislation that would regulate the sale of weapons online. Citing eBay's new policy and its admission that gun sales online were difficult to monitor, Schumer demonstrated at a news conference on Tuesday in Washington the ease with which a Web surfer can find and purchase firearms on the Internet. He pointed to five Web sites in particular: Gunsforsale, Gunsamerica, Gunsareus, The Weapons Rack and Firearms Trading Post. The sale of guns is governed by complex federal and state rules that could conceivably be circumvented in the online medium, he said. For instance, interstate sales require the use of a licensed dealer to serve as a middleman, who must perform a background check on the buyer. The bill, the Internet Gun Trafficking Act, would not prohibit the sale of firearms online, but rather would restrict the sale to federally licensed firearms manufacturers or dealers. Web sites would have to be registered with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. "We simply want to make sure that the laws that apply to gun sales will apply to gun sales that are made using the Net," Schumer said in a telephone interview on Friday. "I believe in the Net, and I believe in the right to buy guns, but we have a responsibility to society to make sure they are sold legally." Proprietors of online gun sales sites argue that the Web is no different than printed classified listings, which allow buyers and sellers of weapons to connect. "The Web is the safest, most secure way to sell guns across state lines," said Paul Helinski, the co-founder of GunsAmerica, which is based in Nashua, N.H. "We've never had a case of fraud on the site." UPS is the only carrier licensed to ship guns, Helsinki said, and it will not deliver guns to anyone except federally licensed dealers. "It's not easy to disguise an AK-47 in a package," he said. "If they even suspect it, they won't deliver it." Like other online sites, eBay had maintained that its online weapon listings were no different than magazine or newspaper classifieds. But after published reports called attention to the site's firearms category, officials at the company announced they would shut down the category. "The current laws governing the sale of firearms were created for the non-Internet sale of firearms," the company said in an announcement on its Web site last month. "These laws may work well in the real world, but they work less well for the online trading of firearms, where the seller and the buyer rarely meet face-to-face." The eBay news prompted the senator to take a look at the issue of guns online, a spokeswoman said. When he was a member of the House of Representatives, Schumer wrote and subsequently passed what is known as the Brady Bill, a law that regulates the sale of handguns, and the Assault Weapons Ban. New York Times, March 20, 1999 ----- Aloha, He'Ping, Om, Shalom, Salaam. Em Hotep, Peace Be, Omnia Bona Bonis, All My Relations. Adieu, Adios, Aloha. Amen. Roads End Kris DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
