Sportsmen must participate in the discussion about a path forward, the author writes. | REUTERS Hunters chart middle ground on guns

I run an organization of gun owners and sportsmen. Our group is dedicated to securing the outdoor traditions we enjoy today for the next generation. We do so by advocating for wildlife and habitat conservation, access and opportunity, and sportsmen’s Second Amendment rights. We also recognize the need to promote responsible gun ownership — including greater efforts to keep guns from dangerous people.

The tragedies in Aurora and Newtown sparked important conversation among our members, as they did in every community across the country. The common thread in these conversations is that we must find a way to keep our children safe from gun violence — but we cannot allow ideologues to scapegoat law-abiding Americans and our guns. Both can be accomplished.


As the model of responsible gun owners in America, sportsmen must participate in the national discussion about a path forward.

In January, my organization, Bull Moose Sportsmen, was invited to the White House by the vice president, along with eight other sportsmen’s groups. I believe that Vice President Joe Biden’s interest in the perspective of our community was sincere, but on some matters, we simply did not see eye to eye.

Sitting across the table from the vice president, I firmly stated that sportsmen simply do not support a new gun ban effort. We do not support banning a class of semi-automatic firearms labeled as “assault weapons” or any other legislation that would take legitimate sporting arms out of the hands of law-abiding hunters or recreational shooters.

But, on the issue of background checks, we were able to find common ground.

We believe background checks fall within an ethic of responsible gun ownership sportsmen have been living and teaching for generations. Aside from reasonable exceptions, like giving a gun to a family member or sharing a gun on a hunting trip, every person buying a gun in America should go through a background check. Private sellers and buyers can go to a gun dealer to process the checks and an online site to process checks should be explored.

For all checks, licensed dealers should keep a record of the sale. This is merely an extension of the existing system that has been in place and has worked well for the last twenty years. And it’s the way it should work for private party sales as well. Dealer record-keeping ensures checks are being done and aids law enforcement in tracking guns used in crimes. And we should all support the prosecution of those who use guns for criminal purposes.

Let me be clear, our support for a background check for all gun sales does not mean we support a government firearm registry of any type. We do not. The gun checks bill proposed in Congress does not and will not create a registry.

The law already ensures that only dealers keep a record – and that all federal records for background checks are destroyed within 24 hours. In other words, the government does not know if you have guns – and there is no government registry of sales.

In a poll released this week by my organization and conducted by a bi-partisan team of pollsters, we found overwhelming support for background checks among hunters. Fully 72 percent of hunters support background checks with reasonable exemptions on sales between private buyers and sellers. (Notably, 84 percent of those we surveyed oppose an assault weapon ban.)

I hope we can all agree that felons, domestic abusers, and the seriously mentally ill should not have access to guns. Three out of four hunters we surveyed believe we can protect our Second Amendment rights while making it more difficult for criminals to get guns. A background check is the best method to prevent dangerous people from getting them, and a licensed dealer record is how we prosecute those that commit crimes with guns.

It’s not easy to find common ground on an issue like guns. However, we cannot and must not be afraid to have a debate on how to keep our communities safe just as we must not shy away from the values of responsible gun ownership passed down from our sportsmen parents and grandparents. Both are at play and background checks are the common ground.

So, let’s move forward on the issue that unites all Americans.

Gaspar Perricone, co-founder of Bull Moose Sportsmen’s Alliance, met with President Barack Obama on Wednesday on the issue of gun violence.