<P> After the Columbine High School massacre on April 20, 1999, gun shows and background checks became a focus of national debate in the United States . Weeks after the Columbine shooting, Frank Lautenberg introduced a proposal to close the gun show loophole in federal law . It was passed in the Senate, but did not pass in the House . </P> <P> The Virginia Tech shooting on April 16, 2007 again brought discussion of the gun show loophole to the forefront of U.S. politics, even though the shooter passed a background check and purchased his weapons legally at a Virginia gun shop via a Wisconsin - based Internet dealer . Previously, in December 2005, a Virginia judge had directed the Virginia Tech gunman to undergo outpatient treatment, but because he was treated as an outpatient, Virginia did not send his name to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). On April 30, 2007, Tim Kaine, the Governor of Virginia, issued an executive order intended to prohibit the sale of guns to anyone found to be dangerous and forced to undergo involuntary mental health treatment . He called on lawmakers to close the gun show loophole . A bill to close the gun show loophole in Virginia was submitted, but eventually failed . Since then, Virginia lawmakers efforts to close the gun show loophole were continuously blocked by gun rights advocates . The Governor wrote: </P> <P> I was disappointed to see the Virginia legislature balk, largely under pressure from the NRA, at efforts to close the gun - show loophole that allows anyone to buy weapons without any background check . That loophole still exists . </P> <P> After the July 2012 Aurora shooting in Colorado, the October 2012 Azana Spa shootings in Wisconsin, and the December 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut, state and local debates regarding the gun show loophole resumed . After the Aurora shooting, then president of the NRA, David Keene, said that such tragedies are often exploited by the media and politicians . He said, "Colorado has already closed the so - called' loophole' and the killer didn't buy his guns at a gun show ." The handgun in the Azana Spa shooting was purchased legally in a private transaction, not at a gun show . The Sandy Hook shooter used weapons legally purchased by his mother . </P>

Is it better to buy a gun at a gun show