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Arguments Against Background Checks

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Guns have had, and continue to have, an effect on American citizens. Given numerous recent events involving violence, the process of obtaining and possessing firearms needs to be taken into consideration. A major debate on the topic revolves around requiring a background check before the purchase of a gun. As of right now, a background check is required before purchasing a firearm. Are these background checks effective in preventing gun violence? Background checks should not only remain in place before the sale of a firearm but also become stricter. Every day in America renting an apartment, applying for a job, or even borrowing money usually involves running a quick background check. Should these backgrounds checks be stricter when putting a dangerous weapon in the hands of a human being? Mental illness does not appear on current background checks. Pollitt makes the remark that, “… you have to be mentally ill to commit mass murder …” (484) It’s possible if a mental illness would have been included in a background check, recent shootings may not have been able to take place. Stephen Paddock of the Las Vegas shooting was mentally ill and bought several guns himself. Like Dvorak mentions in her column for the Washington Post, “The group calls for clear standards and stronger compliance for reporting mental health issues to the National …show more content…

As Pollitt says in The Nation, “… without a gun, it’s difficult to kill and injure a whole crowd of people, no matter how much you’d like to” (484.) Background checks are necessary to keep guns out of the hands of people who will do harm with them. Background checks should not be limited to stores. More should be included as well on the background checks being done. There is no reason they should not also be used in purchasing arsenal. Law-abiding, responsible gun owners can continue to purchase firearms, exercising their

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In most places in the United States people are required to register their weapons, so the government is able to track sales, but there is a different story at gun shows. People at gun shows can effortlessly get their hands on weapons illegally. These weapons are sold through private-party sellers without background checks or identification. Gun shows can indeed bring forth safety concerns with misfires due to human error. While gun shows permit the illegal obtainment of guns through private owners, there is a simple solution to ceasing this issue through background checks

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Background checks might not be the solution. According to the article Does the U.S. Need Tougher Gun-Control Laws? From Junior Scholastic that “ A new survey found that 22 percent of gun owners recently bought a firearm through a private sale. Such sales do not require a background check and are legal in more than 30 states.” Not all fifty states or any private sales require a background so therefore it is not safe for other citizens and anyone could own a gun.

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It says in the constitution itself. If someone wishes to get a gun, they can get a gun. Prohibiting them or placing stricter laws will be of no benefit. While conducting background checks on individuals who wish to purchase a gun does have some rationale to it, it could make any law abiding American look like an unstable psycho for committing a simple act with no mal intent. For example, say a friend

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Strict regulations and limitations have been pursued already and clearly do not suffice. Statics brought to attention by gun control opponents, show that gun control laws have done little to reduce crime rates. Several restrictions have been made on certain guns, considered as overly dangerous, though in the hands of an unstable criminal even a legal hunting gun can be deadly. Countless restrictions have been made, however people have still found ways around them. If people are unstable and determined enough, they will find a gun, regardless of the restrictions or regulations.

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(Richards, Paragraph 4) With the system being like this it leaves for a lot of loopholes for the criminals and their helpers to get through to purchase a gun. Stricter background checks in gun shows and online websites would make for a safer gun buying experience because a person will know who is getting the gun that is being sold. The people that do not want this, say it is harder for them and takes more time to go through the process of getting a gun, but if they know they have a clean record then what do they have to lose? A stricter background check should not affect anybody but the bad people and criminals that do not have any business with guns anyway. In a separate study, “Webster found that firearm-related homicides in Connecticut dropped 40 percent after the state adopted a 1995 law that required anyone seeking to buy a handgun to apply for a permit with the local police, complete at least eight hours of safety training, and be 21 years old.”

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Certain people that are not allowed to buy guns in shops can still purchase them from private sellers or gun shows, where background checks are not actually required (Nakaya 10). Which is why criminals are still able to purchase guns, since they know of places where background checks are not required. In addition to that, anyone can sell their gun to another person without a license to sell or without completing a background check (Gun Control 109). Even though some places do require background checks there are still many flaws that can happen such as mental illness and certain criminal felonies. A flaw in the background checking system is what allowed Dylann Roof to purchase a gun then shoot people in a bible study at church.

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Luckily, the people wanting gun restrictions only want to put background checks on people who want to purchase guns.

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As of right now, only 19 states, and Washington, DC have background checks beyond the federal law. This means the rest of the states only have what the federal law has in place “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. ”(“Legal Information Institute”), which is a huge loophole for someone attempting to avoid a background check. Under federal law, private party sellers are not required to perform background checks on buyers. Josh Howwitz states

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Since the use of the NICS system Approximately 916,000 individuals have been prohibited from purchasing a firearm for failing a background check between November 30, 1998, when the NICS system began operating on December 31 of 2004(Alters 118). This affects how people get gun drastically. If they are not able to go to the store anymore because background checks came up were not acceptable not allowing that person to purchase a firearm. The criteria for determining who should be able to possess a firearm. It should check for past legal issues not only for the individual but their family members.

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We, as Americans are surrounded by this trending issue which results in numerous deaths each year in the United States. We have sets of laws known as Gun Control that control the possession, sales, or manufacture of weapons by civilians. Even though we have these laws in today's society, you can still walk into a store and walk out with a semi-automatic gun in your hand in mere minutes, in certain parts of the US. Failing the background check doesn’t mean much when criminals are still acquiring these weapons in many different illegal ways by stealing, purchasing a firearm at a gun show by an arm trafficker, or private sales. The United States of America is not the only country with this issue but it happens frequently here than anywhere else.

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