DANGEROUS PEOPLE WHO SHOULD NOT HAVE GUNS ROUTINELY PASS THEIR BRADY BACKGROUND CHECKS. WHAT CAN BE DONE? Since the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) was established, FBI data shows that 222 million Brady background checks were conducted from 1998 to 2015. Of those 2.4 million (1.2%) were blocked. We are told to take comfort from this data but what we are not told is how many of the 220 million that were not blocked should have been. (The NRA has made sure this data cannot be collected). OVER 85% OF MASS KILLERS PASS THEIR BACKGROUND CHECKS According to Mother Jones magazine, of 81 mass shootings since 1981, all but 12 were legal gun owners meaning that 69 (85%)had passed their Brady background check. (See link below.) Recent hi-profile murderers that passed include the Orlando, Dallas and Baton Rouge shooters and the Tucson, Aurora, Fort Hood, Navy Yard, Santa Barbara, Charleston, Planned Parenthood, Chattanooga, Kalamazoo, Roanoke, Umpqua, and Lafayette shooters. PURCHASERS WITH A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE, DOMESTIC ABUSE AND ANGER ISSUES CONSISTENTLY PASS THEIR BACKGROUND CHECKS. Almost daily we hear the toll of gun owners who passed their background checks but unleashed gun violence at the workplace, on the highway or upon their intimate partners. Megan Short, 33, recently murdered along with her three children in Sinking Spring Borough, PA was trying to leave an abusive relationship when the shocking violence happened. Her husband went to a licensed gun shop in Lancaster County and purchased a .38-caliber handgun and a stock of ammunition TWO DAYS AFTER his wife expressed fears of her well being to police. Homicidal, and with two prior police reports for domestic violence Short nevertheless passed his background check. A year ago, in Roanoke VA a clearly mentally deranged applicant—known to have a history of violence and anger control issues—purchased their gun TWO WEEKS BEFORE killing two reporters as they were broadcasting. WHAT CAN BE DONE— “BRADY PLUS” BACKGROUND CHECKS What will stop this carnage? REAL BACKGROUND CHECKS—perhaps to be called “Brady Plus” background checks—that should be as thorough as the background checks done for adoptions. Models of “Brady Plus” background checks” already exist—in the U.S. to buy a machine gun and in the U.K. to own or purchase guns in general. From Elliot’s comments of November 22, 2015 (GUN CONTROL WE ACTUALLY DO TODAY- AND HAVE DONE FOR DECADES- AND IT WORKS. WHAT A SURPRISE!) “…every machine gun is registered— and every current machine gun owner or would-be purchaser or relative the machine gun owner might want to transfer the machine gun to— including their children—must go through a full (total) background check. This includes having to submit fingerprints and a photograph which is kept on file, a criminal record check, examination of local records, interviews with local law enforcement, a character evaluation including neighborhood acquaintance interviews, work place interviews and personal interviews.” REAL BACKGROUND CHECKS WORK Because of these thorough background checks, there have not been any machine gun incidents (shootings/murders) in decades. They are Exhibit A for the efficacy of real background checks. THE ONLY WAY FOR “BRADY PLUS” BACKGROUND CHECKS TO HAPPEN IS FOR PRESIDENT OBAMA TO DECLARE A STATE OF EMERGENCY DUE TO THE GUN VIOLENCE EPIDEMIC. “Brady Plus” background checks are not going to happen at the congressional level. To issue the needed executive order to have real background checks President Obama must first declare a National State of Emergency due to the gun violence epidemic. It is essential you get friends, family, people in your world to sign our petition (see below) calling on President Obama to act. Elliot Fineman CEO - Founder National Gun Victims Action Council www.gunvictimsaction.org/donate www.gunvictimsaction.org http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/07/mass-shootings-map https://www.change.org/p/president-obama-halt-the-gun-violence-epidemic-today-by-declaring-a-national-state-of-emergency