But people who, after months of gun discussion, still think ‘semi-automatic’ means ‘machine gun’ these checks sound like a panacea.
I don’t care if someone’s buying guns or Cabbage Patch kids. Asking for government approval to engage in legal activity is an abrogation of rights, voluntary or otherwise.
The guy who ambushed firemen in NY state on Christmas couldn’t have passed a background check after doing time in prison for beating his grandmother to death with a hammer.
Some of the high profile shootings in recent years have been committed by people who did pass background checks or were otherwise “allowed” by the state.
The simple fact is that background checks and restrictions are an exercise in futility and another waste of money. The only real deterrent is a population able to defend themselves.