Background Checks Essay

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About 8.3 million background checks on ammunition sales were conducted nationwide in 2005, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin. Presently, many people feel insecure, as if they are unsafe, so they look to purchase a gun to have a sense of security. Others desire a gun for recreational purposes. Background checks are happening on a daily basis, and they assisted to prevent nearly 132,000 criminals potentially obtaining guns in 2005. And, according to the Pew Research Center, gun homicide rates are down 49% since the 1993 peak. Many believe that background checks are necessary, and aid to prevent future attacks on the general public. These checks still need to be enforced, as they are preventing our nation from danger, however, …show more content…
They convict innocent Americans from obtaining ammunition, and is a violation of the second amendment, because background checks limit the amount of people allowed to purchase guns, despite the amendment stating that everyone has a right to attain some form of ammunition. Federal law only requires licensed gun dealers to conduct background checks. That means that millions of guns are exchanged each year without a check—most often online or at gun shows through unlicensed private sellers. “The Virginia Tech shooter, who killed 32 people [2007], was banned from buying guns because a court found him severely mentally ill. But he passed a background check because his records never made it into the system.” (Everytown). Because the shooter purchased his ammunition through a private sale, the FBI had no account of his records. This private enterprise cannot be regulated, and therefore guns may be sold to anyone, even criminals, without anyone ever knowing, putting unknowing lives at risk. Guns can always come to the wrong hands at the end of the road however. They can be transported and shared to a point where a criminal has reached the guns. “Most criminals know this [background checks] and either use friends or relatives with no criminal record to buy guns for them (an illegal straw purchase), steal guns, or buy illicit guns from other criminals. Some gangs even have community guns they all …show more content…
Background checks are good for the nation because they ultimately prevent crime from occurring, saving potentially hundreds, even thousands of lives, however, background checks can also be tedious, and inspire private enterprises from arising, also creating a network of gun sharing, somewhat how a library operates. Background checks are good for the security of the nation. Crime has decreased, and guns are being sold more responsibly. However, few extra measures should be taken. Rather than fund more and more unnecessary gun laws, creating more controversy, and spending money for things that may not even work, the United States must to persist on, and enforce the current system, because so far, it is operating

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