After the recent tragedy in Tucson, there are increased calls for a review of background checks for those wanting to buy firearms. According to UPI.com, Congressional and Administrative staffers will meet to assess the effectiveness of Federal Background Checks in the attempt to prevent the mentally unstable from buying firearms. Judiciary staffers from both parties will be in attendance.
As the federal law current exists, it requires licensed gun dealers to screen potential buyers through the system to ensure they don’t fit one of the four major categories . Felons, illegal immigrants, spousal abusers and the mentally ill are prohibited from buying firearms. That being said the background checking system is mostly voluntary, as states are encouraged, but not required, to report information to NICS.
Perhaps it is time to make the reporting of felons, violent offenders, and assorted nut jobs mandatory for all states. But greater restrictions in place so that anyone that has committed behavior that indicates mental disturbance cannot buy a gun and show up at a shopping mall and start shooting a Congresswoman, a judge, and umpteen innocent bystanders, including a nine-year-old child.
Whether a great emphasis on background checks would actually reduce gun violence, I believe it remains to be seen. But modifying and committing to stricter enforcement at the laws in place, certainly could not do any harm.
