General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Why gun control is doomed [View all]Shamash
(597 posts)I've consistently advocated for improvements in and better enforcement of violations in the background check system, training requirements, nationwide standards for licensing and improved education, safety and integration of mental health records with all of the above.
I've also consistently opposed knee-jerk measures that affect people who are not the problem in the vague hope of accidentally nabbing someone who is. Much like I oppose NYC's "stop & frisk" and Arizona's "papers please" laws.
Think about it. If the background check system showed the Charleston shooter had a conviction making it illegal to own a firearm, he would have been committing a felony just by trying to buy that gun, and the police could have arrested him that same day. Everything we needed to stop that shooting was already in place. Criminal records were there, a background check system was there. If the two had been connected and there was a will to do something, the NICS system could have called the Charleston police and he would have walked out of that gun store in handcuffs.
Go look up how many background checks are failed each year by felons dumb enough to walk into a gun store to buy a gun. Then see how many of them were actually prosecuted.
Get back to me on new laws after we implement the ones we have, ones which could and should have prevented this crime.