Drudge Retort: The Other Side of the News
Wednesday, February 27, 2013

The police chief of Milwaukee called out Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) -- an opponent of gun safety regulation -- for echoing National Rifle Association talking points about the uselessness of expanding background checks for all gun purchases. The organization argues that the government should enforce existing laws instead.

During a heated exchange at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing about Sen. Dianne Feinstein's (D-CA) proposed assault weapons ban on Wednesday, Edward Flynn pointedly interrupted Graham's claims that the federal government is failing to deter individuals from misrepresenting themselves in the background check process by failing to prosecute people who were rejected from purchasing a weapon as a result of their false claims.

Flynn argued that rather than embark on a "paper chase," law enforcement officials are focused on preventing people from purchasing guns illegally, eliciting loud applause from the audience:

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GRAHAM: When almost 80,000 people fail a background check and 44 people are prosecuted, what kind of deterrent is that? I mean, the law obviously is not seeing that as important…. We absolutely do nothing to enforce the laws on the books…

FLYNN: Just for the record, from my point of view, the point of a background check…

GRAHAM: How many cases have you made? How many cases have you made?

FLYNN: It doesn't matter, it's a paper thing. I want to stop 76,000 people from getting guns illegally. That's what a background check does. If you think we're going to do paperwork prosecutions, you're wrong.

[...] We don't make those cases. We have priorities. We make gun cases. We make 2,000 gun cases a year, senator, that's our priority. We're not in a paper chase.

We're trying to prevent the wrong people from buying guns. That's why we do background checks. If you think I'm going to do a paper chase, then you think I'm going to misuse my resources.

#1 | Posted by Corky at 2013-02-27 04:11 PM | Reply | Flag:

"If you think we're going to do paperwork prosecutions, you're wrong."

If this guy refuses to enforce the law, he should be removed from office.

#2 | Posted by Diablo at 2013-02-27 04:13 PM | Reply | Flag:

Good thinking, D. Then he would not have the resources to make 2,000 gun cases a year.

But the NRA would be happy that way.

#3 | Posted by Corky at 2013-02-27 04:17 PM | Reply | Flag:

Corky, think it through. If the pressure is now for background checks at gun shows, and a law enforcement official says he will not waste his time prosecuting the falsely filed ones....what good are background checks?
This guy has got to go. He is not upholding his oath.
I know a cop who opposes pot laws as much as I do. He still arrests people for it because that is the law.
It's what we demand of officers. This guy is one of those "I'll uphold the laws I agree with only" jerks.

#4 | Posted by Diablo at 2013-02-27 08:06 PM | Reply | Flag:

NO, diablo. our system is not run by algorythm, it is supposed to be run by discerning people.

Graham is the jek here, as well as your misguided friend.

#5 | Posted by ichiro at 2013-02-27 09:37 PM | Reply | Flag:

algorythm = algorithm

#6 | Posted by ichiro at 2013-02-27 09:39 PM | Reply | Flag:

and jek = JERK

#7 | Posted by ichiro at 2013-02-27 09:39 PM | Reply | Flag:

How is this an embarrassment?

The implication of the chief's statement is that background checks won't work to reduce gun violence or the prevalence of illegally owned guns because the won't enforce the law upstream of when it becomes a problem.

Sounds more embarrassing for those pushing for universal background checks than anything.

#8 | Posted by jpw at 2013-02-27 10:01 PM | Reply | Flag:

"called out Sen. Lindsey Graham "

That's called low-hanging fruit.

#9 | Posted by Harry_Powell at 2013-02-28 12:07 AM | Reply | Flag:

8.
Agreed, gun control supporters have no foot to stand on and they are really reaching here as always. Only thing that was shown was these great new laws they want to pass have never or will ever prevent what they claim.

#10 | Posted by zack991 at 2013-02-28 08:55 AM | Reply | Flag:

Also he openly admitted he will not enforce the law that he has sworn to do so, sound like this ass hat needs removed. Hello, so how are we supposed to stop criminals who break the law, o my mistake it would racist of us I do that. Even Biden agrees. So liberals please tell me how these new laws will work WHEN THEY DON'T enforce the ones we have. so senator Gram had a great poit and you liberals are making more excuse as usual.

Submitting false information on an ATF Form 4473 -- required for the necessary background check to obtain a firearm -- is a felony punishable by up to ten years in prison, depending on prior convictions and a judge's discretion, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

#11 | Posted by zack991 at 2013-02-28 09:05 AM | Reply | Flag:

Sorry for my extremely poor grammar, iPhone keyboard sucks

#12 | Posted by zack991 at 2013-02-28 09:10 AM | Reply | Flag:

"Submitting false information on an ATF Form 4473 -- required for the necessary background check to obtain a firearm -- is a felony punishable by up to ten years in prison, depending on prior convictions and a judge's discretion, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives."

And it would be up to federal authorities to enforce that, specifically ATF which Republicans won't even let Obama appoint anyone to head the agency.

#13 | Posted by danni at 2013-02-28 09:13 AM | Reply | Flag:

That program has been so underfunded from day one well before Obama , Arizona alone has over 100,000 checks still pending review. They are not the only one. We have the billions in sending aircraft to Egypt and illegally funding rebels in Libia, but we can't fund this program that liberals claimed it would solve our problems. Now liberals want to pass more background requirements when they can't even handle this. How about we fund the laws 100% so they can be enforced before you liberals try to make the claim they are not tough enough and they are not enough to prevent the crime.

#14 | Posted by zack991 at 2013-02-28 09:35 AM | Reply | Flag:

To just make it clear the 100,000 files that still have to be reviewd, that is just in Arizona. Those people have gone through the court system that has found they are guilty of a felony or violet crime which in turn bans them from owning a firearm. This is county wide. ENFORCE and fund the damn program.

#15 | Posted by Zack991 at 2013-02-28 10:03 AM | Reply | Flag:

Embarrass him? All he did was state that he would rather wait until someone succeeded in getting a gun before taking action. He is worried about funding but would rather wait until a gun crime is committed rather then try to prevent them, yeah makes a whole lot of sense.

#16 | Posted by salamandagator at 2013-02-28 02:19 PM | Reply | Flag:

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