In the wake of the tragic Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, many Americans have been talking about gun control.
In a recent interview with CBS News, one of the families who lost their son said it’s too easy to get a gun, easier than adopting a cat.
“You talked to the Vice President as well?” asked CBS Correspondent Shane Doan. “I actually mentioned that we were going to be adopting a kitten,” commented the mother of one of the young boys slain at Sandy Hook. “I had to fill out a lot of forms online and the woman called me and interviewed me and then she called neighbors to get some information on our family. I don’t know enough about guns, but I think it’s a little easier to get a gun than to get a kitten.”
CBS 21 went out to see if there was any truth to that claim.
After going through the process of both adopting a cat and purchasing a gun, we realized that easy is not necessarily the correct term. If you have a red flag with either process, you won’t get your cat or your gun.
“I could probably go down to Walmart and get a gun faster than I can get a cat,” stated Laura Brightbill, who was adopting a cat. Laura has adopted a cat before, but Friday she was reminded of the process.
“It is very hard to adopt a cat,” Brightbill admitted. “It takes a couple of days to do it.”
“A lot of people anticipate just coming in, popping in, picking up a cat and going home and it really doesn’t work like that,” explained Amy Kaunas, Executive Director at the Humane Society of Harrisburg Area.
The Humane Society of Harrisburg Area has a very specific process people must go through.
“You’re not buying a sweater off of the shelf. You’re buying a live being and we view it as a responsibility to in part ensure that you’re equipped and ready to handle that,” Kaunas continued.
“So let me take you through this process,” demonstrated Amy. “Let’s say I’ve chosen Higgins here to be my next cat.”
“First you have to fill out this application that asks you things like how many people live in your home, whether you rent or own and how many pets you have in your home.”
After the paperwork is complete, someone will review the application with you to make sure it meets the standards.
Next, if you live in an apartment, your landlord has to be contacted to make sure pets are allowed.
If you own other pets, their vaccines must be up to date, and finally the animal must be spayed and neutered.
If all of those steps have been taken care of, then you can simply walk in and get the cat and walk out. But many times papers are left at home, landlords can’t be contacted, or pets need to be neutered and spayed.
“I would say the average time is about 3 days,” Kaunas advised.
Now if we walk into a gun shop to buy a handgun, not only do we have to fill out federal paperwork, but also Pennsylvania State paperwork, and after that there’s a federal background check.”
“How long would the whole process take?” we asked James Diehl, Sales Manager at Trop Gun Shop.
“Assuming your background check passed through the PIC System, then it’s just a matter of completing paperwork, paying, and walking you out. It’s that simple,” Diehl replied.
It sounds easy enough, but only if you’re a law-abiding citizen. The application has many specific questions that can raise red flags, and the background check through either the Pennsylvania Instant Check System or the National Instant Check System goes through three different government databases that are kept strictly for the purpose of background checks for gun purchases.
“If your name matches anything in anyone of those databases then usually you’ll get denied,” Diehl cautioned.
But do criminals ever buy guns at gun stores?
“Very few of the guns that are used illegally are purchased legally,” Diehl told us.
“A lot of our sales are to first-time gun buyers so we really advocate training with any type of new firearm, especially if it’s going to be used for defensive purposes,” Diehl concluded.
The big thing is time. If you’re a law-abiding citizen with no criminal record, you can get a gun quick and easy and under your Second Amendment rights, that is warranted.
But with adopting a cat, it could take more than three days even if you’re a perfect candidate.
So easier may not be the best word, but some people may view it that way.
Saturday at the Capitol, many will gather to celebrate national gun appreciation day and protest new gun laws.
In a recent interview with CBS News, one of the families who lost their son said it’s too easy to get a gun, easier than adopting a cat.
“You talked to the Vice President as well?” asked CBS Correspondent Shane Doan. “I actually mentioned that we were going to be adopting a kitten,” commented the mother of one of the young boys slain at Sandy Hook. “I had to fill out a lot of forms online and the woman called me and interviewed me and then she called neighbors to get some information on our family. I don’t know enough about guns, but I think it’s a little easier to get a gun than to get a kitten.”
CBS 21 went out to see if there was any truth to that claim.
After going through the process of both adopting a cat and purchasing a gun, we realized that easy is not necessarily the correct term. If you have a red flag with either process, you won’t get your cat or your gun.
“I could probably go down to Walmart and get a gun faster than I can get a cat,” stated Laura Brightbill, who was adopting a cat. Laura has adopted a cat before, but Friday she was reminded of the process.
“It is very hard to adopt a cat,” Brightbill admitted. “It takes a couple of days to do it.”
“A lot of people anticipate just coming in, popping in, picking up a cat and going home and it really doesn’t work like that,” explained Amy Kaunas, Executive Director at the Humane Society of Harrisburg Area.
The Humane Society of Harrisburg Area has a very specific process people must go through.
“You’re not buying a sweater off of the shelf. You’re buying a live being and we view it as a responsibility to in part ensure that you’re equipped and ready to handle that,” Kaunas continued.
“So let me take you through this process,” demonstrated Amy. “Let’s say I’ve chosen Higgins here to be my next cat.”
“First you have to fill out this application that asks you things like how many people live in your home, whether you rent or own and how many pets you have in your home.”
After the paperwork is complete, someone will review the application with you to make sure it meets the standards.
Next, if you live in an apartment, your landlord has to be contacted to make sure pets are allowed.
If you own other pets, their vaccines must be up to date, and finally the animal must be spayed and neutered.
If all of those steps have been taken care of, then you can simply walk in and get the cat and walk out. But many times papers are left at home, landlords can’t be contacted, or pets need to be neutered and spayed.
“I would say the average time is about 3 days,” Kaunas advised.
Now if we walk into a gun shop to buy a handgun, not only do we have to fill out federal paperwork, but also Pennsylvania State paperwork, and after that there’s a federal background check.”
“How long would the whole process take?” we asked James Diehl, Sales Manager at Trop Gun Shop.
“Assuming your background check passed through the PIC System, then it’s just a matter of completing paperwork, paying, and walking you out. It’s that simple,” Diehl replied.
It sounds easy enough, but only if you’re a law-abiding citizen. The application has many specific questions that can raise red flags, and the background check through either the Pennsylvania Instant Check System or the National Instant Check System goes through three different government databases that are kept strictly for the purpose of background checks for gun purchases.
“If your name matches anything in anyone of those databases then usually you’ll get denied,” Diehl cautioned.
But do criminals ever buy guns at gun stores?
“Very few of the guns that are used illegally are purchased legally,” Diehl told us.
“A lot of our sales are to first-time gun buyers so we really advocate training with any type of new firearm, especially if it’s going to be used for defensive purposes,” Diehl concluded.
The big thing is time. If you’re a law-abiding citizen with no criminal record, you can get a gun quick and easy and under your Second Amendment rights, that is warranted.
But with adopting a cat, it could take more than three days even if you’re a perfect candidate.
So easier may not be the best word, but some people may view it that way.
Saturday at the Capitol, many will gather to celebrate national gun appreciation day and protest new gun laws.