In Pa. and N.J., little impact likely from Obama gun order
President Obama's directive Tuesday tightening federal regulations on gun dealers and background checks drew lukewarm reaction in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
President Obama's directive Tuesday tightening federal regulations on gun dealers and background checks drew lukewarm reaction in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
The executive action would have little impact in New Jersey, which has some of the strictest gun laws in the country. And in Pennsylvania, it would affect only private sales of rifles, shotguns, and other long guns.
Pennsylvania law already requires a background check for all handgun sales. If the purchase is arranged online, between neighbors or at a gun show, the seller must get a third party - typically a licensed dealer or local law enforcement - to complete a background check on the seller and broker the transaction.
Tom Clayton, owner of Clayton's Hunting & Fishing in Willow Grove, said his store already processes several private sales a day, and encourages customers to get cleared for long guns even if it wasn't legally required.
Despite the president's renewed push for regulation, business wasn't any more brisk Tuesday than it has been since the terrorist attack in San Bernardino, Calif., last month, Clayton said.
"I don't think he said much," Clayton said of Obama's address.
On ArmsList.com., a Pennsylvania-based site that connects sellers and buyers, some were already incorporating the new regulations into their ads.
"Background check required as per today's executive order. Thank you," wrote Lou, a man who said he was from East Stroudsburg and looking to get $250 for a bolt-action hunting rifle.
In an interview, Lou, who did not want to give his last name, said he is a recreational target-shooter and hunter and had "always been a firearm advocate." But he applauded the tighter standards.
"I think it makes sense that everybody who buys a firearm in America should be checked," he said. "I'm going to contact my local police department tomorrow and find out what's involved."
Other users of the site, however, balked at what some called "King Obama's Imperial Gun Decree," and noted that they appear to be exempt from the background check requirement.
A 15-page manual from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said that "if you only make occasional sales of firearms from your personal collection, you do not need to be licensed." It also notes each seller is evaluated separately, and some have been prosecuted for trafficking "when as few as two firearms were sold, or when only one or two transactions took place."
Local politicians reacted to the stricter policy largely along party lines, with Democrats backing the president and Republicans saying he overstepped his authority.
Sen. Pat Toomey, the Pennsylvania Republican who unsuccessfully pushed to expand background checks after the mass shooting in Sandy Hook, Conn., said Obama should have left the regulation to Congress.
"The fact that Congress doesn't do something, whether or not I happen to personally agree [with] it, doesn't give the president the legal authority to do it," said Toomey, whose stance is likely to become a key issue during his reelection bid this year.
Joe Sestak and Katie McGinty, two of the Democrats vying to challenge him, criticized Toomey as deserting the issue of gun violence, questioning why he did not reintroduce the bill or push for a vote.
State Rep. Steve Santarsiero (D., Bucks), who has been trying to close the state's long-gun loophole for over three years, applauded Obama's order but said he still wants it addressed by lawmakers.
"In the long run, it would be best for us to pass legislation, at the state or federal level, that requires background checks as a matter of statute," he said, noting that the executive action may be susceptible to legal challenges or could be reversed under a new administration.
Philadelphia's new police commissioner, Richard Ross, said Obama's move was "a small step in the right direction."
Given gun violence across the country, "some sense of reasonableness" is needed, Ross said after his swearing-in Tuesday. "We've got a long way to go in that regard."
Bob Viden, 74, owner of Bob's Little Sport Shop in Glassboro, said the system that is in place simply needs refining.
"I don't want to sell a gun to a mentally ill person," Viden said. But he noted that the order would not prevent every tragedy - including Sandy Hook, where the shooter used guns his mother had obtained legally.
Viden said he does not oppose the federal background checks as they are done now, but would be concerned about a national registry similar to the "no-fly" list, where individuals may not know that they are on the list, or why.
"This is America," Viden said. "If you're going to deny my right to buy a gun, I want to know why and be able to challenge it in court."
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Staff writers Barbara Boyer and Jonathan Tamari contributed to this article.