I'm sitting here watching Lawrence O'Donnell and he keeps playing a clip of Joe Biden going on about requiring 100% background checks for gun purchases. That sure sounds good but what will a background check reveal that will disqualify someone from buying a gun?
The only obvious fact that may be revealed is that the potential buyer has been convicted of a felony and has not had their rights restored. Perhaps it may reveal that a person has been declared incompetent by some mental health authority. It seem those may be the only things that may disqualify a buyer.
Would a convicted sexual predator be barred? What about a perpetrator of domestic abuse, or a victim of abuse, would they be barred from purchases? Would a gulf war veteran be excluded because of potential PTSD?
Thanks for reading my rant this far. I'm publishing before I get tied up trying to edit so...
Who's going to evaluate the background reports? Will there be a scoring system? What good will it do if the checks are destroyed after use an only get looked at closely after the fact of another grizzly killing spree.
Universal background checks may be a step forward but it's just a tiny step. I'm worried this is just a smoke screen to let the NRA fold on an issue then everybody says we won and the fight stops.
If there's going to be any real progress, this should only be one item on a bigger and more effective list.