ON BACKGROUND CHECKS, THE NRA PRETENDS TO BE OUR FRIEND

In last night's CNN gun forum, NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch insisted that her organization cares deeply about keeping firearms out of the hands of dangerous people. The Daily Caller reports:

... Loesch pointed to the failure of states to submit convictions to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System as a reason mentally ill and dangerous people are able to get their hands on guns.

“This individual was nuts. And I, nor the millions of people that I represent as a part of this organization that I’m here speaking for, none of us support people who are crazy, who are a danger to themselves, who are a danger to others getting their hands on a firearm,” Loesch said. “Do you know that it is not federally required for states to actually report people who are prohibited possessors, crazy people, people who are murderers?” ...

“How was he able to pass a background check? He was able to pass a background check because we have a system that’s flawed. The Sutherland Springs murderer was able to pass a background check because the Air Force did not report that record,” Loesch continued.

This morning, she followed up on Twitter.

Here's the NRA website saying they don't support expanding background checks, directly contradicting what Dana Loesch just said. pic.twitter.com/E6k9GHg5VG

— Charlotte Alter (@CharlotteAlter) February 22, 2018

Your assertion is incorrect. Calling for states to comply with existing regulations re: reporting convictions to NCIC for NICS, the NRA’s position for decades, is not this. We’ve asked the media to cover this for decades, too. Maybe now is they time they can start. https://t.co/Yh7PL3dwmN

— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) February 22, 2018

But f preventing dangerous people from acquiring weapons is, in fact, an NRA priority, why doesn't the organization put all its muscle behind efforts to compel state reporting of risky people to the feds? Why doesn't it fight as hard for this as it fights to loosen gun regulations and block gun-control bills at the federal, state, and local levels?

In 2007, the NRA weakened a bill on this subject, the NICS Improvement Act:

The bill would resuscitate a failed government program that spent millions of dollars annually to allow persons prohibited from buying guns to regain the ability to legally acquire firearms. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) would be required to establish a “relief from disability” program to allow persons now prohibited from possessing a firearm because they have “been adjudicated as a mental defective” or “committed to a mental institution” to apply to have their bar on firearms possession removed. As a result of the bill, more than 116,000 individuals would be eligible to apply. States would also be required to establish such “relief” programs to restore the gun privileges of those with mental health disabilities in order to be eligible for potential grant money to upgrade records submitted to the NICS.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) used to run a similar program that, in addition to those with mental disabilities, even allowed felons to apply for “relief.” Annual costs for the ATF program ballooned to more than $4 million in 1991, with an average cost of $4,800 per applicant and 43 full-time employees dedicated to processing the applications. Congress shut down the ATF program in 1992 because of its high cost, inefficiency, and threat to public safety (among those re-armed with your tax dollars: kidnappers, rapists, and terrorists).

The bill also sets an arbitrary time limit for the VA to act on applications for “relief.” If the agency fails to act within 365 days, applicants can file a lawsuit asking a court to restore their gun privileges—even if Congress fails to provide the VA with the appropriate resources to process these investigations. Some prevailing applicants would be entitled to attorneys’ fees.

That bill was so unsuccessful that a new one was introduced this past fall. The Washington Free Beacon says,

It remains to be seen how effective the Fix NICS Act of 2017 could be, given the failure of the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 to ensure compliance with reporting requirements from federal agencies.

If the new bill is a good-faith effort to improve reporting and is likely to be effective, again, why hasn't the NRA fought like hell to get it passed between last fall and now, if it cares so much about this issue?

And let's not forget what happened last February:

President Donald Trump quietly signed a bill into law Tuesday rolling back an Obama-era regulation that made it harder for people with mental illnesses to purchase a gun....

The National Rifle Association “applauded” Trump’s action. Chris Cox, NRA-ILA executive director, said the move “marks a new era for law-abiding gun owners, as we now have a president who respects and supports our arms.”

No, the NRA is not our friend on this, no matter how many people Dana Loesch fooled last night.