Toledo Blade
April 23, 2010

WHAT do John Bedell, Eric Harris, and Dylan Klebold have in common? The gun Bedell used to kill two Pentagon police officers in March and the weapons Harris and Klebold used to kill a dozen students and a teacher at Columbine High School in 1999 all were bought at gun shows without background checks.

Congress can close the loophole that allows criminals and people with serious mental health problems to buy weapons at gun shows. But for that to happen, lawmakers such as Sen. George Voinovich (R., Ohio) must take a stand.

Federally licensed gun sellers must conduct a background check before selling a weapon. But "occasional sellers," private dealers who flock to gun shows, are not required to make sure customers can legally purchase a gun.

And there's nothing "occasional" about some of these dealers who attend numerous gun shows, selling hundreds of weapons and taking in hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Felons are attracted to gun shows because dealers often are more interested in private sales than public safety. In an undercover operation conducted last year at seven gun shows, including four in Ohio, 19 out of 30 private sellers sold weapons to people who admitted they couldn't pass a background check.

Legislation before Congress would close the gun show loophole by requiring criminal background checks for all purchases. These days, background checks can be done almost instantaneously. The only people who would be inconvenienced are those who buy weapons at gun shows because they could never pass a background check.

That's no small number. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives estimates that gun shows are connected to three out of every 10 illegally trafficked guns. That's more than 10,000 trafficked guns a year. Guns bought at gun shows also have been linked to a Hezbollah terror plot and Mexican drug cartels. Preventing guns from getting into the wrong hands reduces crime, saves lives, and improves national security.

Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a national coalition of 500 mayors that includes Toledo Mayor Mike Bell as well as the mayors of Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Akron, and Youngstown, has begun a campaign to close the gun show loophole. In addition to targeted TV ads, they've launched a Web-based petition drive at CloseTheLoophole.org that urges Congress to take action.

The background check requirement at gun shows is supported by 69 percent of National Rifle Association members and 85 percent of gun owners who are not NRA members, the coalition says.

It shouldn't take another Columbine for Congress to take action. Close the gun show loophole now.