The Real Problem with Gun Background Checks. Prof Donohue explains.

The United States has a national background check system for gun purchases, but is the current iteration sufficient to keep guns out of the hands of violent offenders? Professor John Donohue explains what he believes are some of the deficiencies in background checks. For the full interview with Stanford Law professor John Donohue, visit https://www.talksonlaw.com/talks/mass-shootings-and-gun-laws Thanks to Columbia Law School for providing support and allowing us to record the interview. TRANSCRIPT JD (John Donohue): One huge problem that we have had is that background checks have been limited in scope, in the sense that you can buy a gun through a private sale that didn't have to go through a background check. JC (Joel Cohen): These gun shows. JD: Yeah, gun shows or just online. So in states like California now, you have to go through a gun dealer to make a purchase so that we can have a background check. JC: Oh so, let's say I own four, five guns. I don't want them anymore. I can't just put them up on eBay? JD: Yeah, that's right. The transfer has to go through a licensed gun dealer, and that would be a good first step. But I still think we have to go further. We have to take the people like Aaron Alexis. He is the guy who killed twelve people at the Washington Navy shipyard a few years ago and he had a one-point shot through the roof of his apartment building because his neighbor up above was making too much noise. He then went out on the street one day because someone was making too much noise on the street and shot four tires out of a car. And yet he was not entered into any prohibition so that the background check couldn't have screened him out if that information— JC: I hear about such minor things putting people in jail for long periods of time. Here's a guy firing a weapon into his neighbors home, and very little is done? JD: The thought was just be more careful next time. But these are the things that should get you put on prohibited purchaser list. While the NRA hates to limit gun sales to people, we do have to think about issues of public safety. And so many of these individuals self-identify as people who should not have access to guns. So, I think anybody who is out of anger firing guns at other people or shooting guns in a car tire because you're at a noise that somebody is making, they have demonstrated that they should not have access to weapons. JC: And without doing a massive national poll I would guess there's a large population of the country that would be in agreement with that. JD: I mean, 90% of Americans and an overwhelming number of NRA members support universal background checks. But, unfortunately, the power of the gun lobby is so strong in Congress that you can't even get a vote on that issue.