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Biden to NRA: We ‘don’t have the time’ to prosecute people who lie on background checks
During the National Rifle Association’s meeting with Vice President Joe Biden and the White House gun violence task force, the vice president said that the administration did not have the time to prosecute existing gun laws.
Jim Baker, the NRA representative present at the meeting, recalled the vice president’s words to The Daily Caller: “And to your point, Mr. Baker, regarding the lack of prosecutions on lying on Form 4473s, we simply don’t have the time or manpower to prosecute everybody who lies on a form, that checks a wrong box, that answers a question inaccurately.”
Submitting false information on an ATF Form 4473 — required for the necessary background check to obtain a firearm — is a felony punishable by up to ten years in prison, depending on prior convictions and the judge, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Baker, the NRA’s director of federal affairs, told TheDC that he was given five minutes to present the NRA’s concerns and the issues they saw as being the most effective at preventing something like the Newtown, Conn. massacre from happening again. During those five minutes, he said he brought up the need to prosecute existing gun laws.
He pointed to the low number of prosecutions for information falsification and the relatively low felony prosecution rate for gun crimes.
Biden, however, was apparently unmoved by Baker’s ATF Form 4473 concern.
In 2010, prosecutors considered just 22 cases of information falsification, according to a 2012 report to the Department of Justice by the Regional Justice Information Service.
Forty additional background check cases ended up before prosecutors for reasons dealing with unlawful possession. Of the 62 cases that ended up before prosecutors, just 44 were actually pursued. Over 72,600 applications were denied on the basis of a background check.
“We think it is problematic when the administration takes lightly the prosecutions under existing gun laws and yet does not seem to have a problem promoting a whole host of other gun laws,” Baker told TheDC.
MORE at The Daily Caller
grayscape
January 18th, 2013
Maybe Holder’s ATF could do their job instead of gun-running for Mexican drug gangs?? Just a suggestion….
F.D.R. in Hell
January 18th, 2013
Why would Biden and the boy go on a cross-country tour campaigning for gun control? There are far more pressing issues involving America’s economic future. Plus, they have the media campaigning for gun control 24/7.
There must be another motive.
Moe Tom
January 18th, 2013
Butwhat do you American People expect? Biden just dosen’t give a fuck about you.
Eleanor in Hell
January 18th, 2013
Franklin, they’re just trying to win support.
You know… “Hearts & Minds”
Blink
January 18th, 2013
This was reported yesterday in one of the Newsmax links. If I recall correctly it said 77,000 forms were falsely filed during the last year for which they had full data. Of that number 48 or so were prosecuted. The rest the government said they had neither the time nor the money to pursue. So why add more laws?
Peter the Bubblehead
January 18th, 2013
The article in question is behind a password-protected firewall. Any chance we can get a better link?
Bloodless Coup
January 18th, 2013
If Obama really cared about protecting the lives of innocent children against the possibility of being murdered by psychopaths, he would have signed 23 Executive Orders geared towards banning or outlawing ABORTION.
bob
January 18th, 2013
so do they have time to prosecute people who don’t comply with Obamacare?
Machloja
January 18th, 2013
“And to your point, Mr. Baker, regarding the lack of prosecutions on lying on Form 4473s, we simply don’t have the time or manpower to prosecute everybody who lies on a form…”
Typical, moron’s response. So, why passing this horseshit in a first place?
Carlos The Jackal
January 18th, 2013
Good job announcing that, joey – I’m sure the criminals will appreciate the lapse.
thirdtwin
January 18th, 2013
What he really means is they don’t have the money, or the whole new federal agency required to persecute gun owners effectively.
BILL
January 18th, 2013
your ruling elites only have time to prosecute those whose prosecution will benefit said ruling elite.
we have so many laws on the books you are guilty of violating one no mattter how hard you try not to. that seesm to be the master plan, so they always have some reason to hold you in their jails any time they want.
Chieftain
January 18th, 2013
This goes directly to the heart of the real problems in this Country, and not just about guns and gun violence. It is the lack of consequences for one’s actions, and being held accountable for the Responsibilities that come hand in hand with every Right.
With this kind of magical thinking so widespread I honestly do not know how we get past this. Our financial problems are largely due to the fact that those who work for a living are outnumbered by those who vote for a living. Responsible voting citizens who own firearms are rapidly being outnumbered by voters who not only do not own firearms, but also oppose the entire Second Amendment and significant parts of the rest of the Constitution.
Unruly Refugee
January 18th, 2013
What’s their excuse for not running a background check on 0bama before he started his deadly rampage?
Anonymous
January 18th, 2013
Government would have more time to prosecute if government agents were not temselves falsifying the forms:
http://waronguns.blogspot.com/2012/06/reese-family-update.html
.