*Sighs* I know some people don't like it, but the straight dope is that if you want to be able to have guns while improving 'gun control' then there simply needs to be a database of who owns a gun. It's bad enough these days that people file the serial numbers off. (BTW: Is there law against possessing firearms that have had their serial numbers removed? As opposed to merely 'crime-x with possession of a firearm'?)
And background checks are a fact of life. Over at the temporary agency that I work at, temps had to undergo extensive background screenings before working at the San Antonio Stockade Show and Rodeo. Among the things checked for were aliases and, in particularly, sexual predator status. Background checks are becoming a fact of life. Otherwise, you would have the same situation in Japan where bad teachers keep on getting jobs in different schools despite doing things that should land them in prison. It's a little tangential, I know, but it applies simply because people are falsifying their pasts more and more.
Now, I'm not entirely sure, but from your tone you seem to believe we should do away with background checks altogether. Please, let me know if I'm wrong here. Personally, though, I feel that we are a lot better off having them because the last thing I want is people with documented violent behavior, or mentally disturbed in a manner that poses danger to others, in possession of fire arms.
Although I do agree they need to get their shit straight about what kinds of mental illness should preclude people from gun ownership. I'm pretty sure you'd agree that people with psychotic disorders shouldn't have guns. Bipolar disorder should probably count as well. Depression? That's... iffy. It's important to remember that manic-depressives are not anymore - it's now known as bipolar disorder and therefore a whole different kettle of fish. Clinical Depression, I would think, would only present a danger to the gun owner him/herself in the form of suicide.
Suicide prevention... shouldn't figure into gun control. Perhaps a voluntary system should be in place where a gun owner would, upon the advise of their psychologist or family, can turn their weapons over to local law enforcement for safe keeping until they have been given a clean bill of mental health.
Anyhow... Fixing background checks is only one half of the problem. The other half is fixing the completely and utterly broken mental health care system of our country. And to begin with, I feel that exceedingly stringent guidelines need to be set at the Federal level as a sort of 'minimum level of quality assurance'. These guidelines must be reasonable, but even so I can imagine some states will not be happy about the impact it may have on pork barrel projects.
Thoughts?
And background checks are a fact of life. Over at the temporary agency that I work at, temps had to undergo extensive background screenings before working at the San Antonio Stockade Show and Rodeo. Among the things checked for were aliases and, in particularly, sexual predator status. Background checks are becoming a fact of life. Otherwise, you would have the same situation in Japan where bad teachers keep on getting jobs in different schools despite doing things that should land them in prison. It's a little tangential, I know, but it applies simply because people are falsifying their pasts more and more.
Now, I'm not entirely sure, but from your tone you seem to believe we should do away with background checks altogether. Please, let me know if I'm wrong here. Personally, though, I feel that we are a lot better off having them because the last thing I want is people with documented violent behavior, or mentally disturbed in a manner that poses danger to others, in possession of fire arms.
Although I do agree they need to get their shit straight about what kinds of mental illness should preclude people from gun ownership. I'm pretty sure you'd agree that people with psychotic disorders shouldn't have guns. Bipolar disorder should probably count as well. Depression? That's... iffy. It's important to remember that manic-depressives are not anymore - it's now known as bipolar disorder and therefore a whole different kettle of fish. Clinical Depression, I would think, would only present a danger to the gun owner him/herself in the form of suicide.
Suicide prevention... shouldn't figure into gun control. Perhaps a voluntary system should be in place where a gun owner would, upon the advise of their psychologist or family, can turn their weapons over to local law enforcement for safe keeping until they have been given a clean bill of mental health.
Anyhow... Fixing background checks is only one half of the problem. The other half is fixing the completely and utterly broken mental health care system of our country. And to begin with, I feel that exceedingly stringent guidelines need to be set at the Federal level as a sort of 'minimum level of quality assurance'. These guidelines must be reasonable, but even so I can imagine some states will not be happy about the impact it may have on pork barrel projects.
Thoughts?