In the ongoing dialog about guns and gun violence in America, one thing consistently comes out: Americans favor background checks for gun purchases. A 2013 Washington Post-ABC News poll found that 91 percent of all Americans, and 71 percent of NRA members support expanded background checks. Yet, congress has done nothing. A likely reason is that the NRA, which used to support background checks, now opposes them. They offer reasons ranging from “they’re an invasion of privacy,” to “they don’t work because criminals don’t submit to background checks.” However, a new study suggests that background checks are a reasonable, effective method of keeping guns out of the wrong hands.
Researchers from Johns Hopkins University’s Center For Gun Policy and Research did a study of Missouri, where a background check law was repealed in 2007. They found that since the repeal, there was an increase of between 55 to 63 murders by gun per year from 2008 to 2012. Daniel Webster, lead author of the study, says:
This study provides compelling confirmation that weaknesses in firearm laws lead to deaths from gun violence.There is strong evidence to support the idea that the repeal of Missouri’s handgun purchaser licensing law contributed to dozens of additional murders in Missouri each year since the law was changed.
Missouri’s background check law was effective.
Until 2007, Missouri had a “permit to purchase” background check law. Under the law, someone who wanted to purchase a firearm would visit a local sheriff for a background check. The sheriff would do the check, then issue a “permit to purchase,” which the person could take to the gun dealer of his or her choice to purchase a weapon. This law had been in place since the 1920′s. After the law was repealed, unlicensed sellers no longer needed proof of a background check before a sale.
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The Progressive Democrat 
Please pay attention to the numbers. This has been going on for at least two decades. NRA members, ordinary gun owners, favor reasonable gun laws by a huge margin. Yet, the NRA, which supposedly represents the opinions of ordinary gun owners, rejects those opinions. Why? Because the NRA actually represents the interests of the gun manufacturers, who have spent millions of dollars scaring Americans into believing that “the government” is trying to take their guns away. It’s a great sales pitch. Never mind that gun rights have seen their greatest expansion in US history under Barack Obama. But ignore that fact. Because that’s a fact that doesn’t sell guns to scared white people.
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With so many more scared white people ranting on about their ambitions to kill blacks, many blacks who never owned guns are buying them.
There’s a lot of nuts with guns out there in America. Why can’t they just keep them at home locked up.
Stoking fear into already fearful people is working to sell more guns though. Actually how many guns can one guy shoot at once, even if the little lady and kids are helping with the reloads?
We need more studies done to show the effect of background checks, but of course the gun nutters won’t believe them anyway.
This is a great article.
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