Interview NHD Alex Cash

I interviewed Christian Covington a Deputy Sheriff for the Charleston County Sheriff's Office
and has been commissioned as such for 17 years. He has served as a patrolman, K9 handler, and detective before being assigned to judicial security. I interviewed him over email and he was a great source to interview.

1. Do you know if the Gun Act of 1968 had a large significance in history?

2. In what way do you think this gun act helps us as an American society?

3. Do you think that this act is extremely useful and without it there would experience more crime in the US?

4. Do you think that this act should be modified further, in any way?

5. Have you ever seen a case in which someone broke this certain act?

6. Do you think that the Gun Act of 1968 accomplishes what it is fully trying to do?

7. Why was this act so popular and respected when it was first created?

8. Do you think that this act is still as effective as it was when it was first released?

1) The Gun Act of 1968 was historically significant due to the fact that it was the first time since the Firearms Act (1934) that the US took a considerable step in

regulating the firearms trade. The Gun Act essentially required that all firearms dealers and manufacturers be licensed. The Act regulated the importing and distribution of firearms by those licensed dealers, and it prohibited the sale of firearms to certain individuals (ie. felons, mentally ill persons, illegal US residents, etc). Another provision of the Gun Act required that all firearms have serial numbers and that tampering with those designations would be a criminal offense. The Gun Act of 1968 proved to be the foundation for which further gun control legislation could be built on. 2) I imagine the Gun Act of 1968 aided our society by at least providing us with guidelines and methods of accountability for the firearms we produce, buy and sell. 3) It is debatable by many whether or not the Gun Act of 1968 actually helps to reduce crime in the United States. There are those that believe that some of its provisions violate their second amendment right to bear arms. They would further contend that it primarily serves as another revenue opportunity for the United States Government through taxes and fees levied on firearm commerce. Others believe that the law does not have enough teeth to make it effective to prevent crime. Although I am not providing my personal opinion on the Gun Act's effectiveness, I will offer that compromises in law making can sometimes effect the law's intended purpose and effectiveness.

4) Should the Gun Act of 1968 be modified further? Unless I miss my guess I believe it has. The Gun Act essentially modified its predecessor, the National Firearms Act, just as other laws have changed or added to it (ie. Brady, Crime Control Act, Violent Crime Control Act, Law Enforcement Officers Protection Act, etc). Continued modifications will be necessary as technology progresses and as we evolve as a society.

5) I have personally witnessed violations of the Gun Act on several cases. From persons unlawfully in possession of a firearm to mutilated serial numbers on hand guns.

6) It is my belief that the Gun Act of 1968 accomplished all it could do at the time. Some effort was made to get the bill pushed through Congress before being signed by President Johnson.

7) I imagine the Gun Act was popular because it was preceded by a number of assassinations (John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X) that generated a demand that something be done.

8) The Gun Act of 1968 is even more effective now than in years past not only because of the many additions made to the law, but due to technological advancements that make it easier to catalog and regulate firearms.