20 Years On, The Background Check System Continues to Miss Dangerous Gun Buyers - Miranda Farrar

Twenty years ago, there was a mass shooting at Columbine High School committed by two students. Since then, the government has been conducting background checks to try to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous buyers. Unfortunately, there are still many mass shootings occurring, often due to background checks being cut off and missing information. If more research is required for a person after the initial research, then the government has three days to acquire more. After that, the gun dealer can continue with the transaction if no more additional information can be found. In addition, there are multiple instances of missing information. Reports are often incomplete, so then guns are sold to people who shouldn't have them. Some believe that the answer lies in fixing the system before expanding background checks, because obviously the system isn't doing its job. However, twenty states have expanded background checks to include private sales.

The beginning of this movement for gun control was sparked twenty years ago- it's already in our textbook. However, the fight continues on today. What's different is now the teens have taken up the fight. We've seen the news, had debates, and had our own walkout. I think a lot of people kind of forget about it until another school shooting occurs, which is a problem. This needs to be resolved so that another one never happens. That's why I'm so proud of Emma Burkey. She's the one who had the idea to have another March for Our Lives event for Booker T this year. We need to all follow her example, because people like are her the ones who make a difference.

https://www.npr.org/2019/04/20/714921726/20-years-on-the-background-check-system-continues-to-miss-dangerous-gun-buyers