By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
Nebraska gun rights advocates and gun control proponents are battling over a bill that would eliminate the requirement for state residents to obtain a handgun purchase permit
Legislative Bill 833, introduced by State Sen. Tom Brewer. According to the Nebraska Examiner, the State Patrol had asked for the legislation on the grounds that it would result in more background checks. Under the current system, a person who gets a handgun buyers permit, which exempts the permit holder from background checks for a period of three years.
Surprisingly, the gun control lobby is opposed to the legislation. The Examiner noted that members from the Moms Demand Action gun prohibition group testified against the bill, noting that federal background checks do not apply to private sales.
Instead, anti-gunners have suggested keeping the permits but shortening their effective duration. While the permit only costs $5, gun control advocates seem to favor having one more bureaucratic hoop through which gun buyers must jump.
The Examiner report noted there is “no mechanism to rescind the buyer’s permit. Nebraska State Patrol spokesperson Kelsey Remmers told lawmakers LB 883 closes a “loophole” in the law and “is in the best interest of public safety.”
Sen. Brewer said gun control proponents should actually support the legislation.
Brewer last year pushed through legislation for permitless “constitutional” carry of concealed sidearms without a permit, making the Cornhusker State one of 27 states where no permit is required.
According to the National Rifle Association, “A permit-to-purchase system is redundant and unnecessary. The National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) is already in place to do background checks and instantly provides that information to firearm dealers. Federal law requires all firearm dealers to be licensed and to initiate a background check before transferring a firearm to a non-dealer, regardless of where the transfer takes place. Background checks for firearms have been conducted through NICS since November 1998. A NICS check is done instantly while a permit-to-purchase application could take up to 30 days.”
