The following are examples of procedures that have been successful in deterring straw purchases and “off the books” sales by FFLs:
• All firearms sales are videotaped and these videos are maintained for an extended period of time.
• A computerized log of crime gun traces relating to the retailer is maintained in-house. When a customer who has a prior trace at that retailer attempts to purchase a firearm, the sale is electronically flagged. The dealer has the discretion to stop the sale.
• The dealer posts clearly visible signage to alert customers of their legal responsibilities at the point of sale.
• Customers are prohibited from making in-store calls on their cell phones.
• The dealer requires criminal background checks for all employees that sell or handle firearms in the store.
• The dealer conducts daily and quarterly audits to make sure no firearms are missing.
• The dealer prohibits all sales based on “default proceeds,” which are permitted by law when a background check has not returned an approve/deny result within three days.
• The dealer keeps all firearms in customer-accessible areas in locked cases or secured to gun racks.
Unfortunately, self-regulation remains voluntary, and there is no indication that the gun industry will take such sensible steps. Given the difficulty of passing legislation to force manufacturers to regulate themselves, there is a need for a new approach.What's your opinion? Wouldn't mandatory videotaping of all gun sales be useful? What about the other ideas?
What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.
