Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Since mid-1999, about 10,000 felons and others legally barred from buying guns were able to cruise past background checks and purchase firearms, an advocacy group said Wednesday. Of these, 343 are in Washington state, the group reports.
A report by the Americans for Gun Safety Foundation said most states rely on outdated records and computer technology for background checks, which allows thousands of felons to purchase guns with little trouble.
"The dirty little secret is that the records for almost every state are in terrible shape, and our front-line defense necessary to keep guns out of the hands of criminals is full of holes," said Jim Kessler, director of the foundation based in Washington, D.C. The organization says it is a nonpartisan group that supports better gun laws and better enforcement of existing laws.
The group suggests that states should institute a "don’t know/don’t sell" policy to extend the period to complete a background check to reflect the actual time it takes for law enforcement to ensure illegal buyers don’t purchase guns.
The National Rifle Association agreed Wednesday that the system is sloppy, but said the blame should fall on an out-of-control bureaucracy, not lawful gun owners.
"Their conclusion is to make law-abiding gun owners wait" for background checks, said NRA lobbyist Jim Baker. "An ongoing failure of the criminal justice bureaucracy is not a reason to further abrogate the rights of law-abiding citizens."
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