Gun Control Case Study

Currently there are no laws or regulations in place that require private sales, gun show sales or internet sales to perform a background check during a firearm purchase unlike federally licensed firearm dealers. This leaves a loophole open for criminals to purchase firearms leading to more gun violence such as mass shooting and robberies. Gun violence can be reduced by requiring background checks for all guns sales, expanding background checks to include mental health status, and better reporting by law enforcement agencies to maintain accurate information in the database.
Private sales, gun shows, and the internet are the easiest way for a person to purchase a firearm as there are no required background checks or wait periods. This can make
Such as “in 2008 Mr. Houser's family asked a court in Georgia to commit him and the court had him detained and sent to a mental hospital but that was not an involuntary commitment for treatment meaning he was not reported to the FBI. Mr. Houser bought a .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun at a pawnshop and used it to kill two people and wound nine others. This could've been prevented if the courts and the mental health hospital had reported him to the FBI” (Perez-Pena). This is one case where reporting the mental health status of a person to the FBI would’ve prevented deaths by showing there is an issue with Mr. Houser’s mental health in the background check and preventing the sale of the firearm. According to Genevieve Belmaker “The NRA, which has fought most of Obama's gun proposals and has about 5 million members, said the nation's mental health system and gang violence should be the main focus.” By requiring all mental health status to be reported, which currently only involuntary commitment is currently reported to the FBI, gun violence can be reduced. Some of the mental health status to be included would be attempted suicide, voluntary commitment to a mental health institution, and being found mentally incompetent by a court of law or any health institution. Although this restriction could be removed through the courts
Registration is not required to perform a background check now and won’t be necessary with wider background checks. Wider background checks would include all mental health issues and not just involuntary hospital stays. While some say this violates privacy laws, this would be necessary as shown by the case with Mr. Houser. For wider background checks to work effectively law enforcement will need to report and maintain its records. Without law enforcements information, the database will not prevent sales that should be denied to criminals. Although some states complain they don’t have the proper funds to keep better records and to report to the FBI but the government has helped some states with the funding and is willing to help others to ensure the public’s safety. While this does pose a challenge to the program, states only need to asks for help and submit criminal records to the FBI guaranteeing a more complete background check