Universal background checks for gun purchases are an attempt to address a legitimate problem: It really is easy for criminals to get guns, and it really is hard to prosecute those who sell guns to criminals. While licensed gun dealers are required to perform background checks and maintain records, private citizens may sell their guns without so much as asking a question. To prosecute a citizen for an illegal sale, the government must prove that the citizen knowingly gave a gun to a criminal or bought a gun for the sole purpose of transferring it to another party. In surveys, a large percentage of criminals report procuring guns through friends, family, and other private sources, yet these suppliers rarely face charges.
But the fact that the problem is real does not mean this proposed solution would be helpful. Universal checks might be an inherently unworkable idea. And a universal-check policy capable of passing the current Congress will certainly not do much good. It is time for legislators to direct their efforts elsewhere.
Read the article: The National Review
Costs, benefits, and background checks
Friday, April 5, 2013
Monday, June 8, 2026
Anti-gun lawmakers and their gun control allies exploit menacing language to bolster their arguments against lawful arms: ordinary semi-automatic rifles and pistols become “weapons of war” and “assault weapons;” “large capacity magazines” actually refers to ...
Monday, June 8, 2026
Last October, a judge in the Circuit Court for the City of Richmond ruled in the case Raul Wilson, Wyatt Lowman, Virginia Citizens Defense League, Gun Owners of America, Inc, and Gun Owners Foundation v. ...
Friday, June 5, 2026
Today, the parties in the National Rifle Association’s challenge to Florida’s firearm waiting period law jointly filed an Offer of Judgment asking the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida to declare the ...
Wednesday, May 27, 2026
The National Rifle Association, Firearms Policy Coalition, and Second Amendment Foundation filed a lawsuit yesterday challenging Maryland’s ban on Glock and Glock-style handguns.
Thursday, June 11, 2026
House democrats have stripped provisions from the budget bill, H.D. 6042, that would have ended the Commonwealth’s ban on Sunday hunting, in addition to expanding land access and increasing opportunities for crossbow hunting.
More Like This From Around The NRA
