...unfortunately, as might be expected, they're the typical sneaky rider provisions tacked onto something more important, and of course they're provisions backed by the NRA. So, it doesn't surprise me much that the
first new federal laws to pass since Newtown have the NRA's bloody fingerprints all over them.
So, these new gun laws were attached to the continuing resolution, passed yesterday in the House and the Senate, intended to keep the government somewhat less dysfunctional until September. Because big business runs on economic certainty, as per the GOP, and there's nothing more reassuring and brimming with certitude than running the entire federal freaking government one can-kick at a time.
The NRA has gotten six new gun laws passed as riders to the CR, and four of them will become permanent as a result. Here is the explanation of them from ThinkProgress:
1) Limit enforcement tools against crooked dealers. One rider would prevent Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) agents from shutting down gun stores due to “due to a lack of business activity,” arguably a sign of criminal sales.
2) Shield gun dealers who “lose” their guns. This legislation precludes any federal law that requires gun retailers to count their guns and submit the results as a mechanism of determining whether any weapons have been lost or stolen.
3) Interfere with ATF gun trace reports. The ATF is now mandated to include, in any reports concerning its tracing of guns back to crime, that trace data “cannot be used to draw broad conclusions about firearms-related crime.” Academic work on guns has used trace data to firmly establish that several firearm regulations effectively prevent the spread of guns to criminal.
4) Expand the class of protected guns. According to Roll Call‘s John Gramlich, the fourth permanent law would “place a broad definition of antique guns and ammunition that may be imported into the United States.”
So while the Senate considers the possibility of debate on new gun laws that would accomplish something to reduce gun violence, always nice to see what the real priorities are for Republicans in Congress, doing the NRA's bidding. More interested in protecting crooked gun dealers and suppressing research into gun violence. Well fucking done.