Clinton Announces Steps to Block Illegal Gun Sales
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Aiming to keep guns out of ``the
wrong hands,'' President Clinton unveiled on Saturday an online
system intended to block minors and criminals from using
fraudulent firearms licenses to buy guns by mail or over the
Internet.
Clinton said the U.S. Treasury Department's Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) has launched the ``eZ Check''
firearm-license verification system on its Web site,
www.atf.treas.gov, in a bid to crack down on the use of phony
licenses to acquire guns illegally.
``By making it easier to check the validity of gun licenses,
we'll make it harder for guns to fall into the wrong hands and
give law enforcement, and the gun industry, a new tool to put a
stop to illegal sales,'' Clinton said in his weekly radio
address.
``In addition, the ATF is proposing new measures to require
gun sellers to verify licenses and report individuals who use
invalid ones,'' Clinton added.
The ``eZ Check'' system will provide a quick and easy way for
licensed gun dealers to verify the validity of a federal
firearms license presented to them for the purchase or shipment
of guns, Clinton said.
Licensed dealers are allowed to ship firearms only to other
licensed dealers, but some people have been creating fraudulent
licenses to circumvent the law.
Under current law, licensed gun dealers are required to
obtain copies of licenses from purchasers before shipping
firearms, but are not required to ensure that the licenses are
valid or to report to law enforcement people who attempt to
obtain guns using invalid licenses.
By logging onto the ``eZ Check'' system, a gun seller may
submit a federal firearms license identification number and
instantly receive information on the status and authenticity of
the license, the White House said.
Clinton said the system was aimed at preventing juveniles
and criminals from acquiring firearms by mail, over the
Internet and by other means.
INTERNET FACILITATING ILLEGAL GUN SALES
The president said that despite all its benefits, the
Internet is making it easier for guns to fall into the hands of
criminals and minors.
``There are now 4,000 firearm-sales-related sites on the
Internet, and there are 80 sites where you can actually buy a
gun at auction,'' Clinton said. ``Clearly, we must do more to
ensure that every sale over the Internet is legal and that no
one uses the anonymity of cyberspace to evade our nation's gun
laws.''
Recent ATF investigations have shown how juveniles and
illegal gun traffickers easily acquire firearms by using
fraudulent licenses.
Clinton cited the example of two juveniles in Montclair,
New Jersey, who were arrested last May after using a forged
license to order four firearms over the Internet from a Texas
gun dealer.
The students later admitted to making four additional
fraudulent licenses. All the firearms that were shipped were
recovered and the juveniles pleaded guilty to charges in state
court.
Clinton also called on the Republican-controlled Congress
to fund fully his National Gun Enforcement Initiative. It would
provide $280 million to pay for more than 1,000 federal, state
and local gun prosecutors, hire 500 new ATF firearms agents and
inspectors, expand gun-crime tracing and ballistics testing,
among other steps.
The president also called on Congress to pass gun-control
legislation that he supports.
``So I ask this Congress: Don't just talk about strong
enforcement, give us the tools to do the job,'' Clinton said.
--
This is actually a good idea, so good that Clinton could not
have thought of it, people using fake FFLs has always been
a problem.
Steve.
Cybershooters website: http://www.cybershooters.org
List admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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