Gun Purchase Background Checks: Casting A Wide Net With Many Holes

Violence and crimes are growing in number and affecting American society. By reinforcing background checks we could reduce crimes and limit easy gun access to mentally ill people. The National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) is a database where the names of people that have committed a misdemeanor, are mentally ill or drug abusers is kept to prevent them from attaining guns. Most criminals buy guns from unlicensed sellers at gun shows that don’t do properly background checks through the NICS, making it easier from criminals to purchase firearms. Another problem is missing records or information that was not reported to the background check system. Better background checks could reduce crime and gun violence in America.

People who appreciate activities like shooting competitions and hunting, use firearms responsibly. This use contrasts with other uses, which often result in consequences that can be both intended and unintended. With past and present mass shootings, and acts of bloodshed perpetrated with the usage of weapons; has triggered a focus on gun control that once again has been brought into the spotlight. The purpose of the ongoing gun argument addresses the crimes that are committed with guns. This issue of gun control separated people into two groups: those who believe that carrying guns might prevent some crimes and fatalities, and those who don’t. There are individuals who believe absolutely the reverse: that more crime and deaths

People with mental illnesses are referred to a wide range of mental health conditions disorders that affect your mood, thinking, and behavior. Examples like Autism, Anxiety Issues, and many more that affect them. It is so easy for anyone to get guns. About over 300 million have been made and sold to people in 2012, so there is a large supply of them. (My Turn: Should People with Mental Illnesses Own Guns?”, 2015). You can easily get one by just bribing a stranger or from a family member so it’s very easy to get one. There should be stricter gun control laws for those individuals with a mental illness history because guns are falling into the hands of people whose actions are unpredictable, research shows that many of the crimes committed are by those with a known mental illness, and the current wait time for owning a gun allows people with a mental illness to act without seeking help first.

The mistaken belief that there is a direct link between mental illness and violence is disrupting the gun control system. Individuals with mental illnesses only cover a very small portion of violence in general, and even less with gun violence. Instead, the focus should be on criminals and drug users. “Individuals who have exhibited dangerous behaviors in the past, have a criminal record, or have a history of drug abuse, for example, are much more likely to commit future crimes” (Wolf, 2015, p.851-878). The reason the government is focusing on certain groups of people are to predict future violence, so if they limit the ability of the mentally ill to purchase weapons they are thinking it will reduce gun violence. This hypothesis would not make a significant dent in the gun violence problem of the United States, because again the mentally ill only make up a very small portion. The shooter of Sandy Hook middle school used his mother’s legally purchased weapons and ammunition to commit the murder, even if the ban of the mentally ill were in place it would not resolve the problem. The only way to make sure future mass shooting done by someone with schizophrenia, or other severe illnesses is to fund the mental health programs, and at the moment the country is doing the exact opposite. “Unfortunately, funding for mental health care has diminished significantly; over the past few years states have cut approximately $4.35 billion from their mental health care budgets” (Wolf, 2015, p.851-878). The best way to stop violence is to recognize there is a

Kopel, David. “Background Checks for Firearm Sales and Loans: Law, History, and Policy.”, vol. 53,

Every year 30,000 americans die from guns while others have the privilege to end up with a disability rather than dieing. The men and women who are diagnosed with a mental illness and obtain guns often commit suicide and crimes such as mass shootings, and murders. Because healthcare providers don't report the mental illness’ of many people to the FBI these people are able to pass a background check when they attempt to purchase a gun. Although the second amendment allows people the right to bear arms, it has become easy for the mentally ill to acquire guns and gun control should be strengthened for this very reason.

“To ensure that all individuals who should be prohibited from buying a firearm are listed in the national instant criminal background check system and require a background check for every firearm sale.” I am writing to you as a constituent member and citizen-voter, and I am urging you to support H.R.3411: Fix Gun Checks Act of 2015.

“The plan combines executive actions and calls for legislative action that would help keep guns out of the wrong hands, ban assault and high-capacity magazines, make our schools safer, and increase access to mental health services.” In this plan President Obama wants to secure the background checks on purchasing a firearm so than the background checks can be more accurate with selling firearms to the appropriate customer and not the consumers that are prohibited to own a firearm. There are 1.5 million firearms were purchased by the customers that are prohibited to own a gun due to felons or an individual with a history of domestic violence in the past 14 years. President Obama’s plan is to follow through with the background checks with all firearm sales either through private or licensed seller. President Obama wants to make sure that there is reliable data available on the purchasers that are prohibited through the background check system. Background checks are not always reliable due to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) because if there is data on Mental Health HIPAA will not allow the access to the data because of the privacy violation that HIPAA is trying to protect the individual’s medical

After recent tragic events, such as the mass shooting that took place at a musical festival in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 1st, 2017, which left over 50 people dead, and over 500 others injured (Bui, Zapotosky and Barrett), the topic of stricter gun controls in America has become a controversial topic for many people in our society. Those in favor of stricter gun controls believe that by implementing laws that would make it more difficult for the average person to purchase and own guns, the result would be a decreased number of mass shootings and other gun deaths in our country. Typically, with these proposed laws, it is suggested that potential gun owners should be required to undergo mental health screening, in addition to regular background checks to see if the person has a history of any mental illnesses or past crimes. However, reducing the number of mass shootings and other gun deaths in America is not as simple as just implementing new laws.

Even though anyone can buy a gun from a private vendor, some mentally ill people can slip through the federal mental health system and purchase a gun from a federally approved vendor. The current administration is pointing their fingers at the mentally ill and not focusing on the corruption of the actual mental health system. Under the federal law, a mentally ill person does not have the right to possess or purchase a gun from a legal vendor but only if they are involuntarily committed to a mental hospital or if the government declares the person mentally ill. (Shortell 1). After the eighteenth mass shooting of 2018 Trump called for a focus on mental health. Although the current administration says that this is their new focus, Trump revoked a bill that added mentally ill people to gun check register which is a step backward in the prevention of shooting caused by the mentally ill. ( Korosec 2) The few laws that are actually passed often have loopholes. For example, through the Baker Act, anyone who is involuntarily committed is placed on a federal registry designed to prevent them from buying a firearm; however, only about 2 percent of Baker Act commitments in are involuntary. Individuals who agree to a voluntary commitment still retain the right to purchase a firearm.

The past few years America has seen an undeniable rise in mass shootings and other acts of gun violence. With each act of violence that brings the nation into a state of fear for their safety, it leads people to ponder on the place the nation is currently at with gun control and the actions the government is taking to improve the unstable ground it currently stands on. Even with the public’s attention and consideration on devastating shootings, there has been a lengthy tug-of-war between those who actively promote more gun control laws and those who oppose them, with gun control activist repeatedly losing the battle. Those that understand the benefits the expansion of gun control would bring should join and take a stand, particularly for national

The legislative process is a very long and complex procedure that often results in most proposed bills failing to become laws. Due to this, most domestic policy plans often go unfulfilled. After the Connecticut elementary school shooting that resulted in 20 students dead and 6 adults, many Americans felt that there should be restrictions on the purchasing of guns. When President Barak Obama proposed a mandatory background check for gun buyers, there was an 80 percent support from American citizens. However, the proposed bill began to die out despite the vast support in favor of the bill. This is due to the fact that the legislative process limits the power of the President in reference to law making.

When looking to purchase a weapon one must pass what is known as a background check. The gun retailer typically makes a phone call to the Bureau of Criminal Investigation, and they go through a history of any possible serious crimes the particular individual has been involved with. Those with a serious criminal background are not approved and therefore can’t purchase firearms, individuals who have clean slates pass and are able to purchase firearms. In recent years there have been a few incidents where the government

The debates on gun control are becoming for intense, as President Obama approves new laws through executive order. The millions of Americans that argue these new laws and regulations are an invasion of privacy seem to be hushed by the other millions of Americans from a new age that support the new restrictions. There are gun marches to support the 2nd Amendment of the US Constitution and the rights of Americans who carry guns for protection of home and private businesses, to counter this, there are also marches to support stronger regulations and stricter back grounds checks to limit the access of guns, legally, to persons with a record.

Backgrounds checks are the most effective way of preventing gun related crimes. A study, done by the National Library of Medicine, examines the relationship between the types of background-information check required by states prior to firearm purchases, and firearm deaths and the results of the study concluded that more background checks are associated with fewer deaths. The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act is an Act of the United States Congress that mandated federal background checks on the purchasers of