Music City Blasted By New York City Mayor

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Mayor Michael Bloomberg revealed the results of an undercover investigation into illegal gun sales. His office claimed Nashville has illegal transactions too often.

New York City investigators covered seven gun shows in three states. Tennessee was one of them. At shows at the Expo Center and State Fairgrounds, they caught on tape just how easy it could be for criminals to buy guns.

"So no background check then right? asked the buyer. "I probably couldn't pass one anyway."

"It's an individual sale, breathe deep," said the seller.

"That's good about the background check, because I probably couldn't pass one," said the buyer.

"I don't care. All I have to do is demand you show me your license," said the seller.

"So you don't care about the background check?" asked the buyer.

"Nope, because I wouldn't pass either bud," said the seller.

In private gun sales, federal law requires no background checks. If a buyer indicates he probably couldn't pass a background check, the seller is required by law to refuse the sale. In their investigation, few actually did.

Mayor Bloomberg is sending the findings of the undercover investigation to Congress. He wants them to pass a federal law mandating background checks and records for all sales by private sellers at gun shows.

Nine other states and the District of Columbia have passed so called "loophole" laws. Tennessee's Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey said that will not happen here.

"This is not a so called loophole, its legitimately in the law that it one individual wants to sell their firearms to another individual, you do not have to have a federal firearms license to do that, and that's what they are trying to do, and it's a farce to be honest," said Ramsey. "Obviously the gun sales between individuals shouldn't be regulated by the federal government or any other government entity for that matter."

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said about 30 percent of guns involved in federal illegal gun trafficking investigations are connected in some way to gun shows.