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Federal Gun Control Requires IT Overhaul

New submitter Matt Slaybaugh writes "John Foley at InformationWeek has an editorial saying that the missing piece in the new gun control legislation is adequate data management. 'President Obama introduced 23 executive orders on Jan. 16 aimed at reducing gun violence through a combination of tougher regulation and enforcement, research, training, education and attention to mental healthcare. Several of the proposed actions involve better information sharing, including requiring federal agencies to make relevant data available to the FBI's background check system and easing legal barriers that prevent states from contributing data to that system.' But concrete plans are needed now to improve the current poor system of data collection and sharing. Federal CIO Steven VanRoekel's Digital Government Strategy, introduced in May, 'defines an IT architecture and processes for sharing digitized content securely, using Web APIs and with attention to protecting privacy. ... Unfortunately, on top of the data quality issues identified by the White House, and the FBI's and ATF's outdated IT systems, there's a lack of transparency about the systems used to enforce federal gun-control laws.'"

6 of 436 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Reduce gun violence? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Dianne Feinstein has a concealed carry permit. Or used to, when she carried a pistol in her purse. Now she has armed guards instead.

  2. Why do we need new laws and regulations? by Attila+Dimedici · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Prosecutions for violating existing federal gun laws are down significantly under Obama. Joe Biden said that they do not have the time and manpower in order to pursue violations of the law on background checks. If the Administration does not enforce existing laws, why should we believe that any new laws will make any positive difference?

    --
    The truth is that all men having power ought to be mistrusted. James Madison
  3. Re:Reduce gun violence? by Curunir_wolf · · Score: 5, Interesting

    If you call the police and say: "somebody is trying to kill me", you will have a whole bunch of police units coming to you to protect you.

    Riiiiiiiight... That ALWAYS works, doesn't it? I can't think of one single incident where a threatened person called the police and they failed to arrive before the killing occurred. Oh, wait, I have that backwards, don't I?

    And, BTW, there have been numerous cases where the courts have made it explicitly clear that police are under NO obligation WHATSOEVER to protect anyone.

    --
    "Somebody has to do something. It's just incredibly pathetic it has to be us."
    --- Jerry Garcia
  4. Re:Reduce gun violence? by RoTNCoRE · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Bank balance? The realization that personal security is largely one's own responsibility (which I refuse to abdicate), and that I am in many/most cases the best person to provide that for myself, and determine the level that is adequate for me?

  5. Re:Shocking? by clarkkent09 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Not only renewed it but made it permanent so he doesn't have to renew it every year, and have go through the inconvenience of hiding that fact from his followers again.

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    Negative moral value of force outweighs the positive value of good intentions.
  6. Re:Shocking? by Jane+Q.+Public · · Score: 4, Interesting

    "BS. GGP post was not referring to amendment of the U.S. Constitution, its the discredited Xth amendment stupidity. It doesn't work like that. This has been tested, and a war was fought on the issues. The Feds won."

    Sorry, just wrong. Time to read the history books.

    For just one example, the propaganda insinuating that nullification has been "discredited", or has racist roots, are what is really BS. One, and only one, Southern governor threatened to try using it against anti-discrimination laws, but he never actually did.

    On the other hand, nullification was used successfully by the North against the Fugitive Slave Laws. It was never used in support of slavery. (In fact, South Carolina listed Northern nullification as its first justification, in its declaration of secession. Other Southern states listed it also in their declarations, but not as the first reason.)

    It has been used many times since. Far from being discredited, it has been used numerous times, and is in active effect right now!

    No less than 26 states have nullified the Federal "Real ID Act". It is effectively dead in the water.

    A number of states have nullified Federal marijuana laws, making marijuana legal in those states (or at least decriminalizing it). Two states recently passed legislation making it legal for recreational, not just medical, use.

    Several states have nullified Federal gun laws already. At least one of them has made it a felony for anybody to attempt to enforce Federal gun laws that the state considers to be extra-constitutional. Tennessee is considering similar legislation, as are other states.

    So examples of modern, current state nullification are all around you. All Government propaganda aside, you can call it "discredited" all you want, but you would know better if you just pulled your head out and took a look around. For a "discredited" concept, it sure has been -- and continues to be -- pretty darned effective.