Background Checks Before Gun Sales 'No-Brainer': Police Chief

Steps outlined by President Obama Tuesday to curb gun violence and boost background checks by potential buyers are welcome tools toward lowering homicide rates, says Montgomery County Police Chief Tom Manger.

He spoke this afternoon following the president’s remarks and said whenever gun violence is discussed, it tends to become an emotional debate from the far ends of the spectrum. But the amount of gun crime, especially homicides, transcends the gun debate, the chief said.

Manger is also the president of the Major City Chiefs Police Association, which includes the 66 largest American cities – including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago – along with major cities in Canada and London.

“The fact is that we have got to stop the killings in this country, we’ve got to reduce the number of homicides in our cities and towns,” Manger said. “We’ve got to keep guns out of the hands out of criminals, we’ve got to keep guns out of the hands of folks that have mental illness.”

President Barack Obama introduced a series of executive actions in an effort to reduce gun violence after his previous efforts were blocked by Congress. Obama gave the executive order that anyone who is in the business of selling firearms must get a license and conduct background checks on buyers.

The FBI is overhauling its background check system to make it more efficient. Improvements will include 24/7 background checks and providing notification of local authorities when prohibited person unlawfully attempt to buy a gun.

The FBI plans to hire more and 230 additional background examiners.

When police trace back guns used in crimes to their owners, they often claim the firearm was lost or stolen. Manger said while that is sometimes true, it often is a dodge for criminals selling weapons out of the trunk of a car to someone who couldn’t pass a background check.

He called universal background checks “a no-brainer.”

Responsible gun owners must report when they lose their weapon, or when it is stolen, he said. He urged Congress to take the step to require such reporting.

The county police chief also applauded President Obama’s call for more mental health spending and care. A system that helps police identify people suffering from mental illness to the degree that they shouldn’t be able to buy or possess a firearm is needed, Manger said.

The president wants to add FBI agents and more Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents. “Again, who would be opposed to that? No one,” Manger said.

While the steps Obama outlined won’t stop every crime, they will reduce gun violence and keep communities safer, the chief said.

A Montgomery County Police officer was shot in the neck several years ago by someone who illegally purchased a gun; the wound left the officer paralyzed from the waist down. Investigators traced the gun to someone who had sold it at a co-worker in Virginia; they had traveled there to make the sale.

»Photo of Montgomery County Police Chief Thomas Manger