Mayor attends national summit against illegal guns

Chaska Mayor Gary Van Eyll was one of 60 mayors, police chiefs and city representatives in attendance at the "Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition National Summit" on Monday.

In a press conference, the group announced a new partnership with Wal-mart that would implement stricter gun sale policies.

According to the press release:

Wal-Mart and the bi-partisan coalition of Mayors Against Illegal Guns announced that Wal-Mart, the largest seller of firearms in the nation, has adopted the new Responsible Firearms Retailer Partnership, a 10-point code that will help ensure that guns do not fall into the wrong hands.

The Responsible Firearms Retailer Partnership, created by Mayors Against Illegal Guns and Wal-Mart, is a set of policies that will be implemented over time that includes video recording of sales, rigid controls on inventory, checks that gun purchasers are not misrepresenting themselves and the development of a first-of-its kind computerized crime gun trace log for retailers. The new crime gun trace log will flag purchases by customers who have previously bought guns later recovered in crimes.

Mayors Against Illegal Guns and Wal-Mart developed the code to curb some of the most common ways guns end up in the hands of criminals. Wal-Mart will implement the 10-point code at its stores where firearms are sold. The announcement was made at the Mayors Against Illegal Guns National Summit, where representatives from 60 cities gathered to discuss ways to keep guns out of the hands of criminals, held at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C.

"We know the ways that guns can end up being used in crimes. Now a responsible and innovative company has stood up with our over-300 member coalition of mayors to strengthen their sales practices to keep guns out of the hands of criminals," said New York City Mayor and coalition co-chair Michael R. Bloomberg. "I've always believed in leading by example, and Wal-Mart has again demonstrated why it's a great American company. The Responsible Firearms Retailer Partnership makes good sense - it will have no impact on a well-intentioned and law-abiding gun buyer - but will help keep Americans safer."

"Wal-Mart currently uses a strong point of sale system that allows us to serve the many hunters and outdoorsmen who've made us their retailer of choice, while also ensuring the responsible sale of firearms," said JP Suarez, senior vice president and chief compliance officer, Wal-Mart. "This code is a way for us to fine tune the things we're already doing and further strengthen our standards. We hope other retailers will join us in adopting the code."

"Partnerships like this one emphasize our mission to keep illegal guns off our streets, and reinforces that we are not cracking down on legal gun owners and the Second Amendment," said Boston Mayor and coalition co-chair Thomas M. Menino. "This is about public safety and I want to thank Wal-Mart for taking responsibility and being a leader in this area. This code of contact will have no impact on the rights of responsible gun owners, but will help mayors and our law enforcement stop the proliferation of illegal guns."

The Responsible Firearms Retailer Partnership is designed to strengthen the points in the gun purchasing system that criminals have exploited in the past. According to the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), 46% of its criminal gun trafficking investigations involved straw purchasers, where someone who is not legally allowed to purchase a firearm does so through the use of a proxy, known as a straw buyer. Examples of the provisions in the Responsible Firearms Retailer Partnership intended to deter and stop illegal purchasers are videotaped sales, increased monitoring of fake IDs, the crime gun trace log, and increased training for employees to spot illegal purchases. Additionally, the inventory controls and increased physical security for firearms in the Responsible Firearms Retailer Partnership are intended to stem lost and stolen guns, which ATF reports often make their way into the illegal market.

The 10 points of the Responsible Firearms Retailer Partnership are:

1. Videotaping the Point of Sale for All Firearms Transactions. Participating retailers will videotape the point-of-sale of all firearms transactions and maintain videos for 6 months to deter illegal purchases and monitor employees.
2. Computerized Crime Gun Trace Log and Alert System. Mayors Against Illegal Guns will develop a computerized system that participating retailers will implement over time to log crime gun traces relating to the retailer. Once the program is in place, if a customer who has a prior trace at that retailer attempts to purchase a firearm, the sale will be electronically flagged. The retailer would have discretion to proceed with the sale or stop the sale.
3. Purchaser Declaration. For sales flagged by the trace alert system, participating retailers will ask purchasers to fill out a declaration indicating that they meet the legal requirement to purchase the firearm.
4. Deterring Fake IDs. Participating retailers will only accept valid federal- or state-issued picture IDs as primary identification. Retailers will utilize additional ID checking mechanisms.
5. Consistent Visible Signage Consistent Visible Signage. Participating retailers will post signage created by the Responsible Firearms Retailer Partnership to alert customers of their legal responsibilities at the point-of-sale.
6. Employee Background Checks. Participating retailers will conduct criminal background checks for all employees selling or handling firearms.
7. Employee Responsibility Training. Participating retailers will participate in an employee responsibility training program focused on deterring illegal purchasers. The Responsible Firearms Retailer Partnership will create an online training system based on Wal-Mart's training program.
8. Inventory Checking. Participating retailers will conduct daily and quarterly audits. Guidelines will be based on Wal-Mart's existing audit procedures.
9. No Sales Without Background Check Results. Participating retailers would prohibit sales based on "default proceeds," which are permitted by law when the background check has not returned a result within 3 days.
10. Securing Firearms. Participating retailers will maintain firearms kept in customer accessible areas in locked cases or locked to racks.
    

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