Bass Pro Shops
appears to have quietly yielded to a request presented to it by 13
Democratic U.S. Senators regarding background checks on prospective
firearms buyers.
The 13 senators are
all largely regarded as being proponents of strict gun control laws
with some of them promoting a ban on the sale of AR-platform rifles,
rifle and handgun magazines with capacities greater than 10 rounds,
and enhanced background checks.
Related to that last
item, in 2015 the 13 senators sent a joint communique to Bass Pro
Shops. These elected officials asked the outdoors retailer and
Internet seller of firearms, ammunition and other outdoors wares to
forego kicking in the federal government’s so-called “three-day
default to proceed” background check provision.
This provision
remains one of the few existing components of the Brady Violence
Protection Act of 1993. It states that if the FBI does not complete
its National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS)
protocols within a three-day period that a federally licensed
firearms dealer may proceed with the sale.
However, a FFL
dealer is not required to do so and may if it so chooses wait until
it gets what amounts to a go/no go notification from the FBI.
The default
provision was established as a compromise to ensure that the federal
government conducts background checks in an expeditious manner. This
was done so that such entities would be prevented from essentially
achieving a pocket veto of firearms sales.
The FBI states that
91 percent of its NICS calls are completed within one day, and says
also on its web site that its West Virginia-based NICS Section has an
average wait and processing time of “446.3 seconds.” Also, the
agency’s web site says it has fielded more than 230 million checks
based upon the federal firearms application to-buy form, having
rejected more than 1.3 million applications.
Still, even with a
largely quick application go/no-go turn-around, Bass Pro Shop says it
will wait until NICS clearance is actually received. This information
is based upon a check made via the retailer’s Internet electronic
customer “chat services.” The Q&A service confirmed that the
retailer will “hold the order for 45 days at the store” before
returning the firearm to inventory should Bass Pro Shops fail to
receive an okay from the FBI’s NICS program.
A Bass Pro Shops
spokesman did not return telephone calls requesting further formal
input.
Likewise, Cabela’s
– which Bass Pro Shops agreed to purchase for $5.5 billion in 2016
– has a similar policy. A sales representative at Cabela’s Avon
Lake store said the operation there will not release for sale any
firearm until it also receives a NICS okay-to-proceed notification.
Few people would
argue that NICS is flawed. That is why a bi-partisan legislative
effort is underway to enhance the program. It is dubbed as the “Fix
NICS Act of 2017” bill and is now before the U.S. Senate. This
adjustment seeks better accountability in ensuring that all federal
agencies report persons convicted of crimes which would legally
prohibit them from buying or possessing a firearm.
This prohibition is
called a “disability” and came to the forefront during a couple
of recent instances whereby a federal agency failed to include into
systems that NICS could access the names of people ineligible to buy
a firearm.
In another related
matter, the on-line “Business Insider” magazine - and other media
venues - reported earlier this month that Bass Pro Shops was being
lobbied via social media and by telephone to stop selling AR-platform
rifle through its outlets and its Cabela’s affiliates.
These requests came
after Dick’s Sporting Goods said it would no longer sell
AR-platform rifles through its chain of Field & Stream
outdoors-supply stores. This, following the murder of 17 high school
students by a killer who allegedly used such a firearm.
However, a check of
both Bass Pro Shops’ and Cabela’s web sites showed that each
retailer still had AR-platform rifles for sale.
JFrischk@Ameritech.net
No comments:
Post a Comment