TUCSON, AZ (Tucson News Now) -
After President Obama announced is asking Congress for universal background checks for gun sales, the city of Tucson is already moving in that direction.
But for the city, it's not the first time its waded into these waters.
Over a decade ago, Tucson implemented a policy that all gun sales on city property would be subject to background checks.
The decision was aimed at guns shows at the TCC.
Background checks are required when guns are sold by licensed dealers, but not by private sellers.
The state legislature ruled in 1999, after Tucson passed an ordinance against guns in public parks, that no municipality could make gun laws that were more restrictive than state law.
Even though Tucson received a favorable court ruling on the issue three years later, it decided to shelve the policy in 2002.
It's been that way ever since.
Now, Tucson city council member Steve Kozachik, a Democrat from Ward 6, wants to talk about re implementing the policy.
"It's a matter of public safety," he says. "As long as we are obligated to allow two people to do a financial transaction in which there's no knowledge of the guys criminal history or psychological background, he walks away with a firearm or he walks away with my cash, that's a public safety issue."
Kozachik says he's not trying to keep gun shows out of the TCC. He's trying to force action to close what he calls a "loophole" in the law.
"I'm in favor of having gun shows," he says. "Close the loophole and I'm saying to the state, let us fix it or you the state fix it, or the feds fix it."
He seems to be on solid ground. A new CBS/New York Times poll shows more than 90% of the American public supports universal background checks, even a vast number of NRA members.
Even some of the gun dealers we talked with are not opposed to the idea.
"This is one thing I agree with that is not going to the extreme," says Alexander Talley, a gun salesman at Second Amendment Sports on East Pima.
Kozachik says he realizes there may be money lost if the gun shows go away because of the new policy.
"Sometimes there are more important things than the dollars involved, public safety is one of those," he says.
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