Terms such as expanded background checks, gun show loopholes and internet gun sales all get bandied about after horrific violence in our country like last week’s shooting at an Orlando, Fla., nightclub.
But what do these really mean in the world of buying and selling firearms?
Expanded background checks sound good, but it is a little deceptive since most purchases — even at gun shows — are from federally licensed gun dealers, and every customer who buys a gun from a federally licensed firearm dealer goes through a background check, explained Aaron Lorton and Ryan Deford, two Lafayette gun shop owners.
If the would-be gun buyer is a criminal, the sale is thwarted there.
But what about gun shows or buying guns over the internet?
“If a dealer sells at a gun show,” Lorton said, “they are required to do the same background check they would do if you came into the store.
“It’s not like you have a booth at a gun show that sells a bunch of firearms without background checks.”
Individual gun owners, however, may sell their firearm to another person without a background check, just as a person may sell any of their other belongings. This is called a private party purchase.