Friday, October 11, 2013

Background Checks At All Time High in Texas







2.Category of issue: Background checks concerning gun policies

3. Level: National/Texas

4. This article talks about the background checks that are required for buying and owning a gun. It concerns those who buy guns. Especially those in Texas, where the background checks have hit an all time high this year. 

5. How does this affect Individuals/families?
This article affects individuals that will soon be purchasing a new gun of any type. They are required by law to have a background check. By doing the checks they will be looking at all permanent records of the buyer.  
6. My View:
In Texas One million people in 2013 have tried to buy guns at licensed shops. This is an all time high for any state.  There are background checks required by law and I personally think that is a good thing. Just as the article mentions, there are other ways around these background checks. Some people that know they will not pass the background check for whatever reason, will go through non licensed sellers or buy them through other means. For the most part i believe that the checks are positive and a good start. 
Texas is currently the leader in guy sales for the year 2013, followed by California and Illinois. I was very surprised by this fact. 
It was also very interesting to me that following the Sandy Hook attacks rushes of people seems to flood gun shops. Why would that be? Maybe they fear for their personal protection or they just want to buy a gun because they thing under Obama they might not have the option much longer. Either way, the sale of guns has dramatically increase and still continues to. 
Another fact that shocked me was the NICBCS (national instant criminal background check system) did not slow down at all during this recent government shutdown. The system was expected by many to have complications or to take longer than usual, but it has not shown any issues as of now. 
It is to my understanding that out of the millions of people that tried to purchase guns this year very few failed the test. I believe this is due to the awareness of the background checks. The article mentions that the two main reasons people where declined was either because they were not citizens to the United States or they had been dishonorably discharged from the military. In both cases, I think these people were unaware that they would not be able to make a purchase.   
With all the talk on gun control, I think it has reminded people that they want to rush to buy guns and it seems to be a Texas state wide issue. and the increasing numbers of guns sold has only made the demand higher. I think that since the background checks have been required it has kept many people that do not need guns from getting them. Although there are always ways around the rules, for the most part I think the backgrounds are helpful. If you feel that a gun will be protection for you and your family, you should be able to purchase one as long as you meet the necessary requirements.

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