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Sheriff wants gun-show control Fleming photo Sheriff Bob Kennedy, a chief supporter of a statewide measure to require criminal background checks of buyers at gun shows, shows off the kinds of guns he wants to keep out of the hands of criminals. These guns have been confiscated by the sheriff�s department in criminal investigations. By Jessica Smith Sheriff Bob Kennedy has a pretty good idea how armed criminals get guns in Jackson County. The bad guys find firearms when they burglarize homes and businesses, Kennedy said. They get them from friends. They buy them at gun shows. Gun show checks Here is how states regulate firearm sales between individuals, according to the Center on Crime at the Open Society Institute in New York. These include sales by private sellers at gun shows. States requiring background checks for private sales of rifles, shotguns and handguns: Massachusetts, Hawaii, California, Connecticut, Illinois, New Jersey, New York. States requiring background checks for private sales of handguns only: Maryland, Iowa, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Alabama. For more information on Oregon�s proposed new law, check out the state�s on-line voter�s pamphlet at www.sos.state.or.us � The Associated Press But a ballot measure before voters this November would eliminate one of those methods, he said. "I can�t do much about a criminal who burglarizes a home and steals a firearm. I can�t do much about criminals who have an acquaintance they can borrow (a gun) from," Kennedy said. "But we can regulate these gun shows." Kennedy, a chief petitioner for Measure 5, said interviews with convicted criminals and national firearm statistics from the Department of Justice show that lawbreakers have easy access to handguns at gun shows. Measure 5, if approved by voters Nov. 7, would require criminal background checks at gun shows, defined as any event where more than 25 firearms are available for sale. The measure, placed on the ballot under Oregon�s initiative process, also would extend the background-check rules to shotguns and rifles, currently regulated under federal guidelines. Under current state law, licensed dealers are required to conduct background checks through the Oregon State Police before selling a firearm. Private sellers are not. Measure 5 attempts to close that loophole by forcing private vendors to complete background checks at gun shows, said Sen. Ginny Burdick, a Democrat from Portland. She�s also a chief petitioner for the measure with Kennedy and Multnomah County Sheriff Dan Noelle. The measure does not seek to strip gun owners of their rights, supporters say. "This is a crime-prevention measure," Burdick said. "It�s designed to do one thing and one thing only � keep guns out of the hands of criminals." Skeptics, however, say the measure attempts to Band-Aid a symptom of a bigger problem: crime in general. "These ideas are great. They sound great," said Sanford Young, a Jacksonville firearm dealer who coordinates the Medford Rifle & Pistol Club�s annual gun show. "But in reality, a criminal will always get a gun." It�s uncertain what effect the measure would have on crime rates, proponents concede. "But at least criminals won�t be able to walk into a public (event) and buy a gun with no legal requirements," Kennedy said. Under the measure, gun show vendors would be required to request a criminal background check to determine whether buyers are prohibited from possessing a firearm by state or federal law. The prohibition applies to minors, individuals convicted of felonies or certain violent misdemeanors, and mentally ill people who under state law are not allowed to purchase or possess a firearm. In addition to the gun show requirements, the measure encourages private vendors in settings selling fewer than 25 guns to conduct background checks voluntarily. It does that by granting such sellers immunity from civil lawsuits. Debate over the measure and its purpose has become a key point in the legislative race between Alan Bates and Jane Hunts, candidates for House district 52. Bates has endorsed the measure. "I am a gun owner. I�m not anti-gun. But I think we need to get this law on the books," said Bates, an Ashland doctor. "In certain parts of our district that may cost me votes, but this thing is a safety issue. I think it�s something we have to support." Meanwhile, Hunts, also a gun owner, worries about the measure�s effects on small collection owners. Anyone with more than 25 guns would be running a "gun show" under the measure, she said. "This thing is written so overly broad," said Hunts, a Trail-area business woman. "It will make it very difficult for just an ordinary gun owner to remain in compliance." Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.