Gun control advocates and politicians regularly tout the need for gun sales background checks as a way to stem “increased gun violence” in America.
But is their argument logical?
In the vice presidential debate on October 4, Democrat Tim Kaine reiterated the party line, stating “we need to close gaps in the background check system,” and went on to say if those gaps were closed, the Virginia Tech shooting that happened during his stint as governor could have been prevented.
The Virginia Tech incident actually exemplifies how ludicrous his statement truly is.
Seung-Hui Cho, the Virginia Tech shooter, passed a background check just weeks before he went on a rampage killing 32 people at the gun-free institution.
This sad tragedy clearly points out the absurdity of the gun-control argument that background checks can prevent gun tragedies. Wrong!
Background checks by their very nature look at a person’s history: Have they ever committed a crime, or have a mental health issue, that would prevent them from ever purchasing a firearm? That’s what a background check does.
What it cannot do is predict future behavior.
A background check will only stop a known criminal from acquiring a gun legally. It cannot stop an individual with no criminal history from committing an act of violence in the future.
But “increased background checks” is an easy target for the anti-gunners to espouse in their efforts for increased gun control.
Background checks are no crystal ball.
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