The U.S. House of Representatives just passed H.R. 8, bipartisan legislation requiring background checks for all gun purchases, including at gun shows and via the internet.
Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Battle Ground, voted “no,” stating that background checks do not affect the frequency of firearm homicides or suicides. Herrera Beutler cherry-picks the findings of one study, which evaluated the link between rates of gun-related deaths and California’s enactment of a comprehensive background check requirement and a firearm prohibition for persons convicted of violent misdemeanors.
Although the study found that these laws did not result in population-level changes in gun deaths, the authors specifically qualified their conclusions, referencing California’s dramatically incomplete criminal and mental health records and faulty compliance and enforcement. The authors note that other studies show clear benefits from laws that require both background checks and (not applicable to California) permits to purchase guns.
Indeed, a Connecticut law requiring background checks at point of sale and as part of a permit process reduced gun deaths by 40 percent. Herrera Beutler shouldn’t resort to oversimplified, inaccurate “summaries” of gun violence data and should rethink her position on common-sense firearm restrictions, such as those set forth in H.R. 8.
