A proposal to prevent dangerous individuals from obtaining firearms [View all]

[LongtimeAZDem]

(This is my first new discussion; if I have posted it in the wrong place, please accept my apologies)

In nearly all of the major mass shootings of the past few years, the fact that the shooter posed a danger was known in advance to various authorities. Loughner, Holmes, Cho, even Lanza (though that was more complex) were on the radar, but there currently exists no system for communicating that information to gun dealers.

I believe that we need a system to provide for a "red flag", much like a restraining order, to be entered into the background check system; with proper due process, this could be implemented while safeguarding individual rights.

For example, in the case of James Holmes, his psychiatrist had alerted the police via a Tarasoff letter. If the police had been able to red-flag the background check database, Holmes would have been unable to acquire his rifles. Similar conditions existed for the Tucson, Virginia Tech, Isla Vista, Orlando, and other shooters.

To protect the rights of the individual, such a system would require real due process; legitimate evidence of credible danger, and severe penalties for abuse of the system. A person in fear of an abusive ex must be able to taken seriously; one that just wants to make trouble should be held accountable. Conversely, there has to be a reasonable process for those so flagged to clear their names.

While a system such as this would not stop gun violence as a whole, it could have prevented the horrific mass shootings like we witnessed in Florida.