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West Virginian Pol To Bloomberg: I'll Ban Your Gun Busts
By
Ben Muessig
Published Feb 15, 2010
Modified Feb 15, 2010
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By
Ben Muessig
Published Feb 15, 2010
Modified Feb 15, 2010
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A candidate for Governor of West Virginia has threatened to make Mayor Bloomberg's out-of-state gun busts illegal. State Sen. Jeffrey Kessler says Bloomberg has gotten too involved in West Virginia politics, so he wants to pass a bill that would ban the Mayor from using private investigators to catch Mountain State gun dealers who violate federal laws by selling firearms to unqualified buyers.
"It's for us to handle within our own borders," state Senator—and gubernatorial candidate—Jeffrey Kessler told the Daily News. "We jealously guard our gun rights, and we're vocal advocates for the Second Amendment." Over the past few years, Bloomberg has used private investigators to capture video of gun dealers selling weapons to buyers who say they wouldn't pass background checks, and to buyers who purchase guns and illegally give them to other people. Kessler's so-called "Bloomberg bill" would charge anyone who "persuades, encourages or entices" a gun dealer to make an illegal sale with a felony.
"It's not appropriate for any other law enforcement, absent the feds, to engage in gun buys—or try to entrap with gun buys—within our borders," said Kessler. "If there are violations, they should be investigated by clearly recognized law enforcement in our state, rather than by bringing in hired goons to do it." Mayoral spokesman Jason Post defended the stings, arguing they are necessary because 90 percent of guns used in New York City crimes come from out of state: "This legislation gets it exactly backward. The city has never broken the law, but we have caught unscrupulous gun dealers selling in violation of federal law."
This isn't the first time Bloomberg has taken heat over his stance on gun control. He has already served as the inspiration for custom gun paint jobs and a bobblehead figure.
Tagged
firearm
governor
gun dealer
gun show
guns
handgun
illegal guns
jeffrey kessler
mayor bloomberg
straw buyer
West virginia
Ben Muessig
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