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Ron Schalow, fargo, Published September 15 2013

Letter: Gun control foe resorts to ‘buts’

In the Sept. 9 Forum, under the heading; “Don’t buy false gun rhetoric,” Tim Pederson first claims that background checks are required for gun sales from private sellers. Quoting from Pederson’s letter: “Susan Beehler states: federal law does not require background checks for private gun sales, which can include online sales and gun shows. This is false.” But, further down in the letter he explains some of the “buts.”

And the “buts” aren’t small. A person is not subjected to a background check if they buy a gun from a private seller in their own state. All you need is an ID. For easy shopping, check out a website like

Armslist.com, select your state, choose the category of firearm, and then click on “sale by private party.” All of the listings requiring no background check appear.

Regarding gun shows, Pederson states, “At gun shows, only a small percentage of sales are private sales, as a high majority of sellers are licensed dealers.” That’s like saying; “Only a small percentage of bars allow underage drinkers.”

Why would a person with a record, or otherwise prohibited from owning a gun, bother going to the sporting goods store and getting turned down when they can just answer an ad, or seek out a private seller at a local gun show?

It’s not too much to ask that all gun buyers go through a background check; not just some. It’s literally the very least we could do.