There’s been some debate lately about
what to do about gun violence in the United States. A vast majority of citizens
on the left and the right are in favor of universal background checks (asking
about prior felonies and mental illness) for all gun purchasers. But would such
a measure be effective? According to a new study by Garen Wintemute of
the University of California, Davis, it would be.
Wintemute based his analysis on
currently existing laws and conditions. To begin with, he differentiates
between licensed dealers and private sellers. The former must collect
information from their customers before selling them weapons and then keep
permanent records on each sale. Private sellers have no such federal
requirement, although some states do require background checks for private
party sales. There is no limit as to how many guns a person can sell before
being legally considered a dealer rather than a private seller.
In many estimates, 40% of gun sales
do not involve licensed dealers and thus may not involve background checks.
That number increases to over 90% for ‘prohibited’ people who would not pass a
background check (presumably the sort of people we’d prefer to keep guns away
from) and to virtually 100% for juveniles seeking to buy weapons.
Wintemute then compared gun sales in
California, where even private sellers must do background checks on their
customers, and four states with no such restrictions (Arizona, Nevada, Texas
and Florida). In California gun shows, even private party sales are conducted
through licensed transfer agents. Sales in the other states can be, and usually
are, directly between seller and buyer. There were two consequences of this.
First, the gun shows across the California border in Nevada were full of
California buyers (over 30% by license plate count). Second, there were six
times as many illegal gun purchases (buying a gun for someone else who could
not pass a background check) in the neighboring states as in California.
These data strongly suggest that
federally mandated universal background checks and record keeping would prevent
many questionable people from purchasing firearms. People who could not pass a
check in California would not have the option of going to Nevada to get their
weaponry. This would be particularly helpful in cities like Chicago, which have
strict gun regulations but which get a huge influx of weapons from just outside
the city limits.
For more details, watch Wintemute explain his findings below.
Update 4/2013: Mayors Against Illegal Guns has a fact sheet on background checks.
Welcome to floridaguntrade.com, a place where Florida residents can buy and sell their guns for free. Perfect place Gun For Sale Florida Post your Ad free
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteTenant Screening Blog is your source for the latest news on tenant screening, credit checks,
background checks, and other landlord and property management issues.
We learned recently of a new landlord whose lease terminology bit her in the foot. While she
thought that she made it clear that pet deposits were non-refundable, she actually states in
the lease that the entire amount she was charging ($500) was completely refundable! Here is
the language she used:"Tenant shall pay to Landlord a pet deposit of five hundred dollars,
zero dollars of which shall be non-refundable"
Tenant screening
Background checks
Credit checks
Fehad HASan
Landlord background checks
This information is good and I was impressed. This article has a lot of depth, and it provides a good overview.Ordering my checks
ReplyDelete