Criminal checks

The shootings at Virginia Tech by Cho Seung Hui have predictably started another debate on gun control. But the Washington Post revealed a new twist. Apparently, existing systems should have been sufficient to prevent Cho from obtaining a gun — if the relevant records had been kept up to date. It seems that since 1968 anyone considered mentally ill by the legal system is not permitted to purchase firearms. And Cho was ordered to receive counseling in 2005. However, in a breakdown all too familiar in the public record system, the court order was never reported to the federal authorities. When Cho requested two handguns, his background check came back clean, and his purchase went through.

There are many depressing aspects to this case, but the worst may be that there seem to have been so many opportunities to prevent this tragedy. Cho was known in the university as being disturbed, and received some intervention. And Congress, apparently, has been aware of the defects in the federal background check database for some time. Congress has twice attempted to pass laws to address the issue:

Under the bill, states […]