One of the measures that President Barack Obama proposed Wednesday morning is to implement universal background checks before people can buy a gun.
Current federal law requires that all licensed gun dealers complete a background check on customers before selling them a gun. It's intended to keep guns out of the hands of potentially dangerous people. But the law doesn't apply to personal transactions and to vendors at gun expos.
In Wednesday's presidential address, Obama said that nearly 40 percent of gun transactions are done without a check.
KELOLAND News called around to various gun dealers around the Black Hills and although everybody declined to go on camera, we've received a couple different messages about the universal background checks.
One dealer told us that he felt there were enough gun laws on the books already and that he didn't support any additional regulations. But another expressed frustration at the lack of background checks that are done at gun shows. He feels he's at a disadvantage when he goes to them and the vendor next to him does not have to do a background check.
Tonight on KELOLAND News, we'll talk with the Pennington County Sheriff Kevin Thom to get his take on the proposed universal background checks.
Comments