GAO Report Highlights National Problem -
Identification Fraud
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"...when two individuals who advertised firearms
on the Internet refused to conduct a transaction... Waxman's instructions
were to discontinue that phase of the
investigation..." |
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The General Accounting Office (GAO) released a report on Wednesday that
anti-gun lawmakers intended for use in supporting attacks on our Right
to Keep and Bear Arms. However, the study-coupled with recent news
reports about a busboy in New York City who posed as immensely wealthy
or high-profile individuals such as Warren Buffet and Steven
Spielberg - actually helps to expose the increasing problem of identity
fraud in America.
Waxman (D-CA) |
McCarthy (D-NY) |
U.S. Representative Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), a
committed anti-gun extremist, along with U.S. Representative Carolyn
McCarthy (D-N.Y.), one of the most shrill opponents of the Second
Amendment in Congress today, are using the GAO report to claim there are
significant problems with the National Instant Check System (NICS).
Waxman, who requested and guided the investigation, asked, according to
the report, that GAO "determine how easily firearms can be purchased
using the Internet." But when two individuals who advertised firearms
on the Internet refused to conduct a transaction unless it was done in
person, Waxman's instructions were to discontinue that phase of the
investigation.
McCarthy, on the other hand, is going so far as to try
to use the release of the GAO report to further the attack on lawful gun
shows, even though the investigation had nothing to do with them. In
the end, the GAO investigation fails to do anything more than expose the
problem of the ease in which criminals can create or obtain counterfeit
identification.
Rep. Barr (R-GA) |
U.S. Representative (and NRA Board Member) Bob Barr (R-Ga.)
commented on the GAO report, stating, "Today's report...should come as
absolutely no surprise to anyone who understands even elementary law
enforcement....Fake IDs are a national problem that allow criminals to
evade all sorts of legal barriers." Barr, a former federal prosecutor,
went on to say, "If these individuals (lawmakers who promote attacks on
the Second Amendment) were serious about keeping firearms out of the
hands of criminals they would support, as I do, aggressive prosecution
of the criminal laws already on the books...."
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"...the GAO investigation fails to do anything more than expose the
problem of the ease in which criminals can create or obtain counterfeit
identification..." |
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While Waxman, et al., pretend to be shocked by the GAO report he
orchestrated, its conclusions should surprise no one. In congressional
testimony delivered on June 16, 1987, NRA pointed out that any background check, instant or
not, will have the same problem. NRA-ILA Executive Director James Jay
Baker noted during congressional testimony on S. 466, The Handgun
Violence Prevention Act of 1987, "With only a 'name check' being
conducted, all that can be determined is whether a person with that name
has a criminal history. But as Assistant Attorney General John R.
Bolton noted in a letter of March 19, 1986, to the House Judiciary
Committee Chairman: 'Those persons with a criminal record who are
prohibited from purchasing a handgun are the ones most likely to obtain
false identification documents to support a new name.'"
Of course, we can expect the anti-gun extremists to point to the
GAO report and call for all kinds of new restrictions, including
licensing and registration schemes. But anyone who suggests that
licensing and/or registration of gun owners is the answer is ignoring
the findings of this report. Any anti-gun schemes will be subject to
the same kind of fraud and misrepresentation, and will serve only to
harass the law-abiding.
Ultimately, this issue goes far beyond gun
identification or gun purchases. The solution lies in state-issued
driver licenses or ID cards that serve as the basis of identification
for virtually all transactions of money, goods, and services. Some
states are working to improve their identification systems, and have
moved to address ID fraud with measures that confirm identity and
residence before issuing IDs. Other measures, such as duplicate photos
on the license, are effective in preventing tampering after issuance.
NRA has long supported such reforms, and we will continue to do so.
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