"It's not as if selling a gun to your neighbor is as serious as selling him a car, which would require ... you know ... paperwork."
--A sarcastic John Brummett
In Thursday's Voices section
It may be saying something--maybe a lot of somethings--when the man to our left on the right page and those of us on the right on the left page, agree entirely on a political question.
Background checks to buy guns in this country must get stronger. Loopholes must be eliminated as much as possible. In a country with a Second Amendment in the founding document, guns are always going to find their way into the wrong hands. But why make it easy on the mean and/or mentally ill?
An interesting poll came out Thursday morning--a national poll by a national news outfit--that showed 90 percent of the American people favored requiring background checks on all gun buyers. The question on background checks used this phrase: "Including those buying at gun shows and private sales." Still, 90 percent thought it a good idea. Only 7 percent opposed.
Also, the poll showed the overwhelming majority of people supported red-flag laws. The poll asked people if they agreed that "allowing police to temporarily take guns away from people who have been shown to be a danger to themselves or others" is acceptable. And 81 percent said yes.
Who conducted this leftist lamestream media, fake news, drive-by liberal television poll?
Fox News.
The poll was conducted after last week's mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton. The survey also found that more than two-thirds of the population would ban assault weapons and more than half blamed 1. lack of services for mentally ill and 2. easy access to guns for those mass shootings. Most people didn't blame video games, Donald Trump, inadequate parenting, anti-immigration feelings, or white nationalism.
Maybe common sense is more common than we thought.
Somebody who shouldn't be able to buy a gun would be stopped cold at a Walmart or pawnshop, because they would run his name through the system. But the same somebody could just as easily buy a $10 ticket to the state fairgrounds and buy a weapon of choice at the next gun show, no background check required. How does that make sense? Answer: It doesn't.
Solving the background check loophole(s) and passing red-flag laws won't stop mass shootings. But they might stop several mass shootings. At this point, we'll take what we can get. We being the American people.
Editorial on 08/17/2019