Gun rights advocates say a proposal to require nearly all gun sales and transfers to go through federally licensed dealers and to require buyers to undergo background checks won’t have much of an effect on crime.
Dean Rieck with the Buckeye Firearms Association said what backers call the gun show loophole is largely a myth. He said dealers at gun shows face prosecution if they don’t do background checks. And he cites a study showing 1 percent of guns used in crimes came from gun shows or personal transfers.
“I really think that these kind of proposals are misleading and they’re not going to have any effect on true crime," Rieck said.
Backers said gun violence has dropped in the 20 states that have strengthened background checks, and that polls show support for that runs as high as 90 percent. Ohioans for Gun Safety will gather signatures to put the idea before the legislature, and if lawmakers don’t pass it or they change it, it could go before voters.
