Lawmen Draw Bead on Gun Lobby

At a time when killing of police officers is on the increase, it would be wrong to weaken federal handgun laws. But legislation now before Congress would do just that, and a strong gun lobby is pushing hard for enactment--even to the extent of misrepresenting the stated positions of law-enforcement groups.

Most law-enforcement organizations believe that law-abiding citizens have the right to own handguns. But at the same time, there must be legislative safeguards to keep handguns from falling easily into criminal hands. Retaining current federal laws regarding handguns is vital to effective law enforcement. Laws to protect the police and the public from the threat of additional handguns in the hands of criminals, such as waiting periods and criminal records checks for handgun purchasers and a ban on armor-piercing bullets, will make society safer.

In recent months, the Fraternal Order of Police, which represents more than 170,000 American police officers, and other law-enforcement groups have been misused by gun lobbyists who are spearheading a drive to allow interstate sale of handguns and permit the continued sale of armor-piercing bullets.

Leading the gun lobbyists’ attack is the National Rifle Assn., with which law enforcement has a history of strong ties. In our relationship over current federal legislation, however, the views of the law-enforcement community, and the Fraternal Order of Police in particular, have been distorted and misrepresented.

In the House of Representatives, gun lobbyists are crusading for quick passage of the McClure-Volkmer bill, which would allow interstate handgun sales. The bill, sponsored by Sen. James A. McClure (R-Idaho) and Rep. Harold L. Volkmer (D-Mo.), was pushed through the Senate without any public hearings and is now lodged in a House Judiciary subcommittee on crime. Supporters in the House are petitioning to have the bill discharged from the subcommittee and brought to the House floor; its sponsors say this could happen by spring.

The NRA portrays the bill as a pro-law-enforcement measure, having convinced members of Congress and the public that police are for the bill. While aware of our opposition, the NRA sent material to Capitol Hill erroneously stating that both the Fraternal Order of Police and the National Sheriffs’ Assn. were supporting the measure.

As president of the Fraternal Order, I attempted to set the record straight several times. Every major law-enforcement organization in America solidly opposes the McClure-Volkmer bill. Yet the NRA and other proponents of the bill have persisted in naming our group as one of its supporters. The fact that law-enforcement opposes the bill appears to make little difference to the NRA.

Our reasons for involvement in this legislative debate are simple. As officers, we are charged with enforcing the law. We live with that responsibility every day. Despite the NRA’s claims to the contrary, this bill is against our interests. McClure-Volkmer will make it easier for criminals to get handguns.

In 1968, Congress passed the Safe Streets Act to aid state and local law enforcement in their fight against violent crime. The centerpiece of the act was the prohibition on the interstate sale of handguns, which enhances the ability of states and localities to keep handguns out of criminal hands. McClure-Volkmer would authorize gun dealers to sell to out-of-state customers if the sale would be lawful under the laws of the buyer’s and seller’s states. As a practical matter, this provision is unenforceable and would only serve to encourage illegal handgun sales.

Because handgun laws vary not only from state to state but city to city, it would be virtually impossible for a dealer to make sure that sales to out-of-state purchasers conform to law. Local laws are constantly changing and although several states may have similarly worded provisions, the actual application of these statutes may vary greatly according to individual state court decisions. Allowing interstate handgun sales destroys the ability of law enforcement to enforce state and local handgun laws.

Gun lobbyists are also working against law enforcement on another front, by campaigning for the continued availability of armor-piercing ammunition--bullets that easily penetrate bulletproof vests. Every day, officers risk their lives protecting citizens from criminal attack, and yet the NRA refuses to support these officers by working to ban the sale of such bullets. In fact, NRA lobbyists have blocked the bill for nearly four years.

As officers, we look to Congress to give us the tools to make society safer. To that end, the law-enforcement community, especially the Fraternal Order of Police, is asking members of Congress to resist the pressure to make our jobs more difficult. We want armor-piercing bullets banned. We need the continued prohibition on interstate handgun sales. We want a national waiting period and background check for handgun purchases to help screen out those criminals who are buying handguns, and to eliminate the possibility of the heat-of-passion purchase of handguns.

Our legislators have heard the views of the Fraternal Order of Police, the National Sheriffs’ Assn., the International Assn. of Chiefs of Police, the National Troopers Coalition, the Police Executive Research Forum, the Police Foundation, the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives and the Major City Police Chiefs Assn. We all hope that Congress will listen to the law-enforcement community and put the interests of a safer society ahead of the goals of the National Rifle Assn.