At the moment, the gun show loop hole is still in limbo. In many states, however, doing background checks on all attending gun shows has become a local issue, as we’ve seen a few times. Recently, a group of churches from Dayton were in the news, as they have been holding various events in their community to support House Resolution 2324 to close the gun show loop hole. While, on the surface, lobbying by the churches doesn’t appear to be involved, some replies to the article question the separation of church and state in this instance. Does this group’s support violate this aspect of the First Amendment?
The group of churches, including Omega, Grace United, and other places of worship in the Dayton area, has been holding press conferences and prayer rallies in regards to this issue. With House Resolution 2324, criminal background checks would be required of anyone attending a gun tradeshow. Those who can’t pass a background check won’t be admitted. In past instances that we’ve seen, this loophole has been seen as a way for past criminals to legally purchase a firearm. Otherwise, purchasing a gun often requires getting a criminal background check with your local police department first.
Many might hear about House Resolution 2324 and think, “This doesn’t apply to me directly,” but, in essence, it applies to everyone directly. No matter if you want to purchase a firearm or not, you want to make sure that those purchasing guns and other weapons should be using them. Gun shows, at the moment, appear like legal black markets for weapons. Anyone in attendance can sell their products and anyone can buy them – no matter their criminal or mental history. While one argument against House Resolution 2324 has been that black markets are still a problem for illegal weapons, shouldn’t one side of the issue be addressed first? In the case of these churches in Dayton, they’re simply bringing awareness to the issue.