by Jason Morris

If you have a concealed weapons permit, you’ll now have to get a background check every time you buy a new gun.

The federal government is behind the new rule.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives says it’s basically because Nevada’s background checks don’t meet the federal requirements.

But, the gun owners and concealed weapons permit aren’t at all happy about the changes.

Frank Morraele owns The Gun Trader and owns several guns himself, “Prior to the first of July, if you had a concealed weapons permit and you wanted to buy a gun, we would document it and that was good instead of calling the state and charging you $25 for a background check.”

To buy a gun and obtain a carry concealed weapons, or C.C.W. permit, someone has to take an all day safety and education class.

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by Jason Morris

Local and state checks can lead to fewer homicides and suicides
By Evan Rytlewski

In the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre, the deadliest one-man shooting rampage in U.S. history, Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 people with guns he purchased from licensed dealers. Under federal law, Cho should have been forbidden to purchase firearms since a judge had deemed him to be mentally ill, but the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS)—the mandatory database that licensed gun dealers use to screen customers—showed no record of his mental condition.

In the wake of the Virginia Tech massacre and the renewed gun control debate that followed, nonpartisan researchers from the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) questioned whether more thorough background checks could have prevented Cho from obtaining those guns. They conducted a study comparing firearm homicide and suicide rates across states.

The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act requires all states to screen gun buyers against the NICS, but individual states can require additional checks. Seventeen states, including Wisconsin, also use additional state-level background checks, and 12 states use local-level checks.

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by Natalie Beck

The Governor of Georgia signed legislation today that will allow employees to keep firearms in their vehicles while parked on company property. Effective July 1, 2008, employers will not be able to restrict their employees from retaining firearms in their vehicles and will have no authority to search vehicles if firearms are suspected in an employee’s automobile. Of course, with any piece of legislation, there are exceptions to the rule. But from what I’ve read, it seems that most Georgia employers’ hands are tied. Granted, the legislation “generally protects employers from liability in criminal or civil action resulting from an occurrence involving the transportation, storage, possession, or use of a firearm covered by the law.” I don’t trust generalities – do you?

So, I take this opportunity to reach out to Georgia employers directly: Make sure you know who it is you are hiring. Conduct a thorough background check to make sure there is no history of violence in your employee’s past. The safety and security of those who work in and visit your offices (and even those passing by) is at risk.

Click here to read “Georgia Limits Employers’ Ability to Restrict Guns in Parking Lots”