Why Universal Background Checks Won’t Stop Mass Shootings

By Tom Knighton

AP Photo/Jeff Chiu

One of the many laws being considered to stem the tide of mass shootings is universal background checks. Along with red flag laws that we already noted don’t prevent mass shootings, universal background checks are supposed to put an end to mass shootings, now and forever. Alright, maybe not, but they’re supposed to put a serious dent in the issue, right?

The problem is, while universal background checks can put a speedbump in your garden-variety criminal getting a gun–and not a particularly effective one, it should be noted–it doesn’t stop mass shooters.

Why? Because criminals don’t get their guns in lawful face-to-face transfers.

But would universal background checks, red flag laws and a ban of assault weapons reduce the bloodshed? This news organization looked at three years worth of recent active shooter incidents from 2016 through 2018 compiled by the FBI to see how often they involved background check loopholes, disturbing “red flag” signals from the shooter beforehand, and military-style assault weapons.

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In nearly a third of the cases, military-style assault weapons banned in California and six other states were used, though the shooters often had other types of guns too. Most used ordinary pistols, shotguns …Read the Rest

Source:: Bearing Arms