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Mohammad Alrasheed
Rebecca Lawson
English 113A
11/27/14
Gun Control
Gun control is a very salient policy issue that has increasingly become one of the most
integral federal administrations areas of concern in the recent years. The reason why it has
become significant is the number of people who are losing their lives in America due to gun
violence. In the year 2010 alone, an estimated 31,076 Americans perished due to gun violence.
The deaths occurred as a result of accidental shootings, suicides as well as homicides. A simple
calculation from the 2010s death statistic would show that up to 85 Americans were dying each
day because of guns in 2010. On the other hand, guns accounted for the third leading causes of
injustices after traffic accidents and poisoning in 2010 (Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence
Statistics on Gun Deaths). In 2012, an estimated 8,855 murder crimes in America were
committed used using guns. The figure was 202 more than 2011s 8653 gun related murder
crimes (Federal Bureau of Investigations [FBI]). The question of who should own a gun is one
of the most intricate and divisive issues surrounding gun control debate. In America for example,
gun ownership is subject to licensing laws which are mostly created by the States. Licensing
laws across many States require that a gun holder renew his or her license after a period of time.
According to Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence Licensing Gun, licensing and periodic
renewal of the licenses is effective in removing guns from the hands bad people. Due to the
related dangers that are associated with gun ownership, governments should make it mandatory

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that every prospective gun purchaser undergo mandatory background and psychological check
before one is issued with a gun.
Reasons Why Background and Psychological Check Should be Mandatory

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Figure 1: Statistics of gun violence across America (Source: Pew Research Center).

Gun ownership in America is a wide spread phenomenon because gun ownership in the
country is a right that is protected in law. Figure 1 shows statistical evidence of approximated

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gun ownership in different regions across America. The widespread ownership of guns in
America puts many families at risks of guns being accessed by children and other persons within
the home which could pose security risks. For instance, almost a third of the U.S. citizens who
have children below the age of 18 years have guns in their ownership. On the other hand,
approximately 34% with children below the age of 12 years own guns (Morin, papa 2).
Background check on prospective gun ownership applicants has been a law in usage for a
long time in the U.S. Currently when one buys a gun from federally authorized dealers. The
store from which one is buying a gun should enter a prospective buyers name in the National
Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). Submission of applicants names could be
done via toll free number or online platform. NICS background check is very fast. NICS system
uses a complex and comprehensive information search system which scans records from
agencies like the FBI and other State agencies. NICS system has been in use from the year 1998.
The system has been used to bar an approximated 118 million gun sale requests. Background
check results cannot be held for more than 24 hours based on Brady Act which was enacted in
1993. However, the federally licensed gun holders must fill form 4473 which can be retained for
up to two decades after the purchase was made (Jones). This background check ensures that only
persons who with no criminal records obtain guns in the U.S. Despite the application of NICS as
a modality of controlling gun sales in the U.S., there a lot of loopholes in the current background
check system which has allowed many potentially dangerous persons to obtain guns in the
country.
Private gun dealers are a major conduit through which guns fall in the hands of dangerous
people in America. Private gun sales in the U.S. account for almost 20% of gun sales on annual
basis (Jones). It is an unfortunate scenario that despite the loss of innocent lives in the hands of

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some mentally ill persons with guns in America, such persons continue to obtain guns because
they use the loophole of non background checking through private gun dealership. This scenario
puts many innocent Americans at risk of gun violence. Background check should be extended to
cover even private dealers. If background check on gun sales in expanded, no American would
get to lay their hands on a gun if the background checks cast a doubt a persons suitability to buy
a gun.
Due to ambiguities and differences in States laws regarding gun sales to mentally
incapacitated individuals, cases of mentally ill persons obtaining guns in the U.S. have not been
uncommon. For instance, Seung-Hi Cho obtained his guns within the State of Virginia despite
being mentally ill (Luo). In 2007, Cho became the center of national debate on gun control when
he massacred 32 people at Virginia Tech (Jones). While this paper is not admonishing the State
laws of Virginia on gun sales, but it is plausible to argue that had there been uniformity in the
application of gun sales laws, Cho would have not obtained a gun in the first place. The federal
law does not permit anyone who has been found to be mentally unsound to obtain a gun (Luo).
Currently, NICS does not mandate States to share their health records especially those that touch
on peoples mental health. This is another complexity that faces NICS in conducting a
comprehensive background check on some gun purchase applicants. In real sense, States would
rather not share a persons mental health records while the same constitution protects everyones
right to life. The background checking cannot be complete without examination of a persons
mental health. The Congress should therefore come up with a legislation that would make it
mandatory for all States to update their criminal history databases so that mental health records
are available for scrutiny by the NICS.

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A proposal to make an all inclusive background check modality on gun sales in America
cannot go without opposition. Some people have always argued that sharing of mental health
data records with NICS violate medical ethics and privacy laws. However, the most important
thing that Americans should know is that background checks are not just conducted for the sake
statistics, but for the quality of the statistics. It is pointless restricting gun sales to people of
sound minds when persons with questionable mental health can bypass the system and buy guns.
In fact since the Virginia Tech shooting where 32 people lost their lives, the number of mental
health records held by the NICS has increased from 1.1 million to about 3.2 million in 2013. The
increased mental health records at NICS has enabled the system to thwart up to 65% of
attempted gun purchases by persons with mental health problems (Everytown for Gun Safety
Action Fund).
Conclusion
Gun ownership in America is protected in the American constitution, but protection of
everyones right to life is supreme in the law. It is on this basis that universal application of
background check on gun purchases should be adopted. Both federally certified dealers and
private gun sales should be regulated by strict laws. It is needless and utterly painful to lose
innocent lives in the hands of potential criminals who bypass the current background check
systems to obtain guns in America. A strict background check would ensure that no gun is owned
by persons of unsound mental health and questionable criminal past. Restriction of ownership to
persons of sound mental health is the first and the most effective way to prevent needless gun
violence in the country.

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Works Cited
Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund. New FBI Data Shows Mental Health Records in
Background Check System Tripled Since Release of Fatal Gaps Report Pressed States to
Submit Records of Prohibited Gun Purchasers. Everytown.org, 22 May. 2014. Web. 25
Nov. 2014.
Federal Bureau of Investigations. Crime in the United States 2012. Fbi.gov. Department of
Justice, 2012. Web. 25 Nov. 2014.
Jones, Corinne. Background Checks On Gun Sales: How Do They Work? Cnn.com. CNN, 10
Apr. 2013. Web. 25 Nov. 2014.
Morin, Rich. The Demographics and Politics of Gun-Owning Households. Pew Research Center,
15 Jul. 2014. Web. 25 Nov. 2014.
Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. Licensing Gun Owners & Purchasers Policy Summary.
Smartgunlaws.org, 23 Aug. 2013. Web. 25 Nov. 2014.
---. Statistics on Gun Deaths & Injuries. Smartgunlaws.org, 16 Nov. 2012. Web. 25 Nov. 2014.
Luo, Michael. Chos Mental Illness Should Have Blocked Gun Sale. Nytimes.com. The New
York Times, 20 Apr. 2007. Web. 25 Nov. 2014.