Quote:
Originally Posted by HerRealName
It likely varies by state but the loophole is alive and in use in Texas and many other states. The non-licensed gun dealers aren't required to do any kind of background checks or even ask any questions. They may ask for an id but they may not.
I went to one with my FiL and his brother a few years back. It was depressing.
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If a kid is even remotely resourceful, going to a show isn't necessary. Some of y'all are aware of this: a niece of mine committed suicide a few years ago with a gun. She was very liberal politically, as are both of her parents, so it's not like she was running around immersed in knowledge of gun culture and how to get one easily. But when she decided she wanted to end her life, she bought a gun in a private sale through sort of a "craigslist for guns" web site. As best as anyone can tell, from the time she made first contact with the seller until the time she fired the shot was about 3 hours. She was 19, but there's no reason to believe the seller checked her ID or anything like that. I just checked, and the site is still there. Beyond all of the handguns, there are tons of rifles (yes, including AR-15s) and even multiple AK-47s and AK-74s (all the ones I checked claimed to be semiautomatic...maybe for legal reasons???) for sale here right here in Greensboro, and there are listings in all 50 states.
My assumption is that the general public isn't up in arms about sites like this because all of the other methods are so easy that no high-profile killer has gone this route, and therefore it's not all that well-known that you can do this. But it certainly appears to be the easiest way to avoid any sort of checks whatsoever.