by Author Name Withheld 96

Created on: September 17, 2008

Good heavens folks, the purpose of a background check is simply to find out whether this person has a criminal background or some kind of mental illness that would make the purchaser seem unfit to buy the gun. A reasonable argument that I have heard is that potentially a soldier who has suffered from PTSD may want to buy a firearm and then a bureaucratic mess can ensue once they go to buy that weapon. I hope that patriot and hero would understand the necessary procedures and not become too disappointed.

I can understand and frankly agree strongly that the D.C. handgun ban was unconstitutional and put many property owners in danger, but to complain about a simple guide to make those who want to exercise their 2nd Amendments rights is not out of the mainstream in any way. The House of Representatives voted to overturn the D.C. gun ban today as a matter of fact. This was a vote I applaud them for and so should other law abiding citizens.

Sure, a lot of the time these background checks may end up having little to no affect given that someone with a clean criminal record could commit the most heinous crime, but come on folks it doesn't hurt to at least take a look at their stability in handling this item. The Founding Fathers set up the second amendment so we could ban together in case a situation such as an unjust government got out of hand, that doesn't mean that you can carry the gun everywhere and make others uncomfortable potentially, nor does it mean that every citizen just because they can breathe should be allowed to carry a firearm. I'm sure that some of the Founding Fathers if brought to speed on the amount of shootings and senseless violence attributed to guns would be for some reasonable regulations. I know that we shouldn't really be speaking for the Founders, given the fact that they are dead now. I wouldn't like it if people made a bunch of assumptions of how I would view a issue of great consequence once I am dead.

It comes down to values and personal responsibility as to whether a person should be allowed to carry a gun. If they are taught at home to be respectful to their fellow citizens, have been taught proper gun safety measures and don't want to injure another human being expect in the name of self or property defense then absolutely someone should be allowed to carry a gun, but there are standards and responsibilities that come with that right. This isn't like the Lopez decision which ruled that local municipalities had no constitutional right to regulate whether people wanted to bring a gun into a school zone, that was a controversial matter. The background check should be viewed as a controversial matter.

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