Gun Control: America Needs Better Background Checks

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Violence and crimes are growing in number and affecting American society. By reinforcing background checks we could reduce crimes and limit easy gun access to mentally ill people. The National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) is a database where the names of people that have committed a misdemeanor, are mentally ill or drug abusers is kept to prevent them from attaining guns. Most criminals buy guns from unlicensed sellers at gun shows that don’t do properly background checks through the NICS, making it easier from criminals to purchase firearms. Another problem is missing records or information that was not reported to the background check system. Better background checks could reduce crime and gun violence in America. The background check system can help to reduce crime and violence with the help of the NICS. This system is in charge or having criminal, mentally ill, or drug abusers names. Their names should appear on the database when they want to purchase a gun, and it has to be shared with the FBI. However since the Virginia Tech massacre they realized that the background check system is missing a lot of records and was not succeeding. Because of this congress passed the NICS Improvement Amendments Act to help with the cost of gathering and submitting information from agencies and states to the FBI, to create a more accurate database and make it faster for new information to be loaded in the NICS. According to Christine Watkins, “Every day 34 Americans are murdered with guns, and most of them are possessed illegally” (Watkins 1). Even though the NICS is more updated, the trafficking of guns cannot be stopped. Only people who admit they are in the business of selling guns are required to have a license, keep... ... middle of paper ... ...r in order to deny the access of firearms to dangerous people. Works Cited Doeden, Matt. Gun Control: Preventing Violence or Crushing Constitutional Rights? Minneapolis: Lerner, 2012. 7- 61-63. Print. “Gun Control.” Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection. Detroit: Gale, 2013. Opposing Viewpoints In context. Web. 15 Sep 2013. “Gun Control Reform.” Issues & Controversies. Facts On File New Services, 28 Feb. 2011.Web Oct. 2013. Valdez, Angela and John Ferguson Jr. Gun Control: Firearms Ownership, New York: Chelsea House, 2012. 58-60. Print. Vogel, Steve; Horwitz, Sari and David A. Fahrenthold. “Sandy Hook massacre: New details but Few Answers.”Washington Post 17 Dec 2012: Pro Quest. Web. 17 Sep. 2013. Watkings, Christine. “An Updated Background Check System Will Help Prevent Gun Violence.” Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Greenhaven Press, 2012. Web. 17 Sep. 2013.

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