Let me share something with you. I'm on the email list for Organizing for Action. I'm there because unlike a lot of people I associate with, I voted for Barack Obama, not once, but twice. However, I got an email today that has me really thinking. They wanted me to lend my voice to efforts to require a universal background check.
The beauty of how our political system is supposed to work, is that we don't have to agree with everything. This is definitely a case where I think a background check system is a silly idea at best.
You see, the article they sent had the quote we've all seen so often claiming a majority of Americans and even NRA members support the idea. It struck a nerve.
Here's why, I've bought all sorts of stuff in private sales and not once has anyone inquired into my background other than the common back and forth typical to that sort of transaction. Nobody asked to see my driving record when I bought my cars or van. No-one told me that I couldn't purchase my bow and arrow without providing my name. I didn't have to have my psychological evaluation when I purchased a used set of golf clubs. The other day I bought a knife for my kitchen without anyone or anything checking a database. Yet all of these items have the same lethal potential as a firearm.
What about the silliness of 'every' transaction. Really? I have to do a background check on my kids if I decide to give one of them a gun for their birthday? What about if I decide to purchase one of the guns my dad has, you mean he has to conduct a background check on me? How about my friend and co-worker that has a concealed carry permit, do I need to check him out too? To what point? What is going to be accomplished by all this? If I was worried about any of these people getting guns, I wouldn't be giving or receiving one from them.
Does someone magically stop becoming a threat to society once they purchase a weapon and pass a background check? The newspapers seem to indicate otherwise. People snap; they go bonkers; they do bad things. A check on them at a moment in time really doesn't accurately assess what will happen in the future.
That aside, I'm not afraid of more guns being available and untracked by a lack of background check. Bad people are going to get their hands on guns. Fact of life. Background checks won't change it. The sooner we accept this, the easier we can sleep at night.
How many of us are up at night worried that the guy next door is driving on a suspended license? Do we panic that the car next to us might not be fully paid on his insurance? Have we seen the copy of our pharmacists license to dispense our medication? Did you personally check her out by calling the university listed on your doctor's diploma? Do you ask to see the food handling permit of the person making your fast food order? In school how did you know your teachers were accredited and licensed to teach?
Just because we have a hot button topic, the loss of life due to firearms misuse, doesn't mean that we need to institute a bunch of policies that really aren't going to solve anything. If we're going to chase that rabbit, then let's make sure we go down every other hole of assumption that exists as well. For me, I'd rather assume that the guy asking to buy my gun is legally able to do so. It's a simple thing called trust. I'd much rather be trusted than mistrusted, so I try to treat everyone else the same. Does it backfire? You bet! Does it mean I should stop? NO WAY!
Let's keep private sales private. Let's let trust and good sense do their part. It's easier and doesn't require an act of Congress. Instead, let's focus on fixing our budget and economy.
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