Lots of talk about “expanding” background checks for firearms purchases. Lots of reasonable people on both sides of the argument disagree what that would mean. But so far no one seems to have suggested the obvious – probably because so few in the argument have ever actually participated in what goes into buying a firearm.
So here’s my solution:
Take the firearm OUT of the background check!
Why should NICS need to know that I’m buying a Glock 19, serial number XY1234? They only need to know that I want to purchase a legal firearm. Period. I’m either allowed, or not – there’s no such thing as “you can buy this .22, but not that mean old .45.”
The current process has me (and the FFL holding seller) filling out a form that not only exhaustively identifies me, but also the make, model, and serial number of the firearm I want to purchase. If there’s no desire to create a national database of firearms, there’s no need for that information.
In fact, if you take out the firearm, the background check could be used for other purposes, too! Hell, I’d run one on myself every year, just like a credit report, just to see what’s out there about me. (and to keep them guessing)
Take the firearm out of the background check, and more people would be more comfortable with insisting on more background checks for more firearms sales.
What say you?