and save lives. The fact is that the background check and waiting period included in the Brady Bill would not have prevented John Hinckley from legally purchasing the handgun used in that incident. Records show that a police background was run on Hinckley four days before he purchased the revolver he used to shoot President Reagan and Jim Brady. The check showed he had no felony convictions in any jurisdiction. Neither had Hinckley any public record of mental illness.An even greater shortcoming of the Brady Bill is that it only affects legal transactions. By definition, a criminal is someone who breaks the law. Criminals have many ways to obtain weapons without going through the process mandated by the Brady Bill. Two obvious examples are theft and black market purchases. According to studies only one firearm of every six used in a crime is obtained legally. Since the passage of the Brady Bill, only four felons have been apprehended trying to purchase a firearm. When asked for a policeman's opinion of the Brady Bill in Crime and the Shacking of America: The Roots of Chaos, by Andrew Thomas, Steve Rusiecki replied: "I think it is an emotional attempt at crime reduction rather than one based on legitimate facts.” In view of the facts presented, it is obvious that the Brady Bill is not an effective crime prevention tool. The Brady Bill is not effective in fighting crime, but it does affect crime victims. The five-day waiting period during which the police conduct the background check is also supposed to serve as a "cooling off" period to prevent crimes of passion. Fortunately, this five-day wait is waived in states like Virginia which have an instant background check system in place. The following article is an example of how waiting periods affect crime victims.The idea behind these laws is that by imposing more gun restrictions, we will be able to reduce the amount of crime in this country. The most common form of gun control is ...
