Q&A of the Day – What changes if we have universal background checks for guns?
Each day I’ll feature a listener question that’s been submitted by one of these methods.
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Today’s entry...
@brianmuddradio what’s the difference between the “universal background check” being pushed now and what’s already law? I bought my gun at a gun show and went through a background check and waited 3 days before I could get it at the store. Is it between individuals? How?
Bottom Line:After the shootings in El Paso and Dayton I mentioned the national condition felt to me what Florida felt like after the attack at Stoneman Douglas. By that I mean the conditions feel right for some type of gun control / related reform. During my research I found seven reforms that more than 60% of Americans support. They are...
- 87% should ban the mentally ill from purchasing/owning a firearm
- 84% expanded background checks
- 80% national database
- 72% armed guards at schools
- 70% ban high capacity ammo clips
- 69% ban “assault weapons”
- 64% ban online ammo sales
As you see, the second most widely supported reform is for “expanded” background checks. It’s being proposed in Congress as a universal background check. If the proposal passed, the process you experienced would be the legal standard for the transfer of all firearms. The background check is processed through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. Currently only sales from licensed dealers are required to go through the background check. According to federal records 22% of all firearms are transferred privately. These firearms would be subjected to the background check under the new law or would be unlawfully possessed by the new owners – making it much more difficult to legally sell or transfer a firearm outside of a licensed dealer.