An editorial from the Duluth News Tribune:

By: Joan A. Peterson , Duluth News Tribune

This month marks the 15th anniversary of the signing of the Brady Bill, named for James Brady, President Reagan’s press secretary, who was shot during an attempt on the president’s life. The law has stopped 1.6 million gun sales to felons, fugitives, domestic abusers, terrorists, dangerously mentally ill people and other prohibited purchasers.

The Brady Law has proven effective — but has a loophole, one that allows anyone to purchase weapons from unlicensed sellers at gun shows and other venues. Some states have closed the so-called “gun show loophole,” but Minnesota is among the states that hasn’t.

“Loopholes in the Brady Law mean about 40 percent of all gun sales in America take place without background checks,” Sarah Brady, chairwoman of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and of the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, said in a statement. “Too many dangerous people are allowed to slip through the cracks and easily purchase firearms, fueling the illegal gun market and putting children and families at risk.”

A national law to close the gun show loophole wouldn’t change anything for law-abiding citizens who purchase guns for hunting, recreation or self-protection.

In the recent election, the National Rifle Association continued to bandy about its tired argument that any gun regulation is the beginning of a slippery slope to ban all guns. The association purportedly spent $40 million to defeat Barack Obama and other candidates. But voters didn’t buy into the fear tactics or believe the NRA’s arguments. In the U.S. Senate races, NRA-endorsed candidates lost in Colorado, Louisiana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina and Oregon. Meanwhile, more than 90 percent of Brady Campaign-endorsed candidates won, according to the recently released Guns and the 2008 Elections report by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. The Brady Campaign commissioned post-election polling by the respected Penn, Schoen & Berland firm. Results included that 76 percent of those polled favor reasonable gun laws. Among gun owners and McCain voters, 66 percent favored reasonable gun laws. These reasonable measures include requiring criminal background checks on all sales of guns, (83 percent in favor), banning military-style assault weapons (65 percent in favor) and the registration of gun sales and the licensing of gun owners (68 percent in favor).

On Black Friday, two shoppers shot each other over a toy in Palm Desert, Calif. That’s two too many senseless deaths. But the toll of gun violence extends well beyond the trauma that incident inflicted on the families of the shooters and others present during the fight.

When is enough enough? Every year, 100,000 Americans are injured or die from gunshot wounds. In Minnesota, about one person every day dies from a gun injury, including children.

Last June, the Supreme Court interpreted the Second Amendment to mean an individual right to bear arms — but also determined that measures to restrict access to guns by certain individuals and to restrict the availability of certain types of guns were, in fact, reasonable and constitutional. This ruling has effectively taken the issue of banning guns off the table. Why is the NRA still using it in its attempts to influence the public and elected leaders?

It’s time for the majority to stand up and confront elected leaders. According to polling data, the public is ahead of its elected leaders on this issue. More are needed to join the Protect Minnesota campaign to prevent gun injuries and deaths. Help is needed to pass a law in Minnesota to require unlicensed sellers to perform background checks on buyers at gun shows and other venues. If even one life is saved, it will have been worth the effort.

Joan A. Peterson of Duluth is a member of the national board of trustees of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, is co-president of the Northland Million Mom chapter of the Brady Campaign, co-president of the Northland Million Mom chapter of the Brady Campaign, president of the Minnesota Million Mom chapters and is a steering committee member of the Protect Minnesota campaign to prevent gun injuries and deaths.

A) Did they get their guns via the "gunshow loophole?" (otherwise known as private property rights)

B) That happened in California, which as I understand it, does NOT have a "gunshow loophole."

So because an argument is tired, it somehow becomes less true and valid?

Hmm, apply that logic and we come up with the following examples:

1. Murder is bad, but we've said that for hundreds of years, so these days its all right to murder somebody because that old argument is tired.

2. Many dislike the French, by my math, for reasons dating back upwards of 70 years at least. But that is a tired argument, so I guess we all like the French. Uh, no we don't.

3. The left appears to be consistent only in the fact that they manipulate statistics to support their views. That is a tired argument, but read this article and it is clear. "NRA-endorsed candidates lost in... (6 States, count them, 6 states). How does 6 out of 50 states convey any majority opinion?

Isn't it nice that both of the Million Mommies get to be president?

We have the RKBA. She has the right to be ignorant.