Studies and statistics indicate that although some criminals are declined when trying to buy guns l

The cost of implementing the background check system is another factor that affects American taxpayers. As of June 2000, individual States used over 270 million dollars to create and maintain criminal records in support of the National Criminal History Improvement program (NCHIP). The NCHIP program, established as part of the Brady Act, uses tax money from several resources including funding created for the National Child Protection Act of 1993 (Public Law No.103-209, 107 Statute 2490), and the Violence against Women Act (42 U.S.C. 13701 et seq.) (Manson). Law enforcement departments including local, state, and federal agencies, use the background check system to approve or deny applications to purchase weapons. Nationally only an average of 2.4 percent of the total number of handgun purchase applications get rejected due to background checks. Calculating the cost per rejection, taxpayers pay $844 for every rejection of a handgun purchase.

The black market is another way that criminals acquire guns and avoid background checks. Many of the guns on the black market are stolen. Others are sold by dishonest dealers who ignore the background check law, and later report the same guns as stolen. In an article written by Tom Jackman, staff writer for the Kansas City Star, one gun dealer illegally sold thirteen hundred weapons in less than a three-year period. Mr. Jackman also reported that law enforcement must prove that gun dealers knew the law and that they knew it was being violated in order to prosecute a gun dealer (Jackman). Along the eastern seaboard, black market gunrunners who supply over two million guns used in criminal activities use Interstate 95, often called the "Iron Pipe line", to transport guns across state lines (Sherman). Many law enforcement officers along Interstate 95 will not even ask for a gun trace because too often the guns have changed hands several times and the they feel the check would waste time.

Who has the right to own firearms and how much can the government regulate gun ownership? Many people believe that the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America protects gun owners against laws designed to regulate firearms sales and ownership. The Amendment states; "A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." These words are the backbone behind gun-rights groups like the National Rifle Association (NRA) founded in 1871. The NRA is composed of hunters, sportsmen, and gun enthusiasts all banded together in one organization. The NRA currently has 3.2 million members. These members form one of the most powerful lobbying groups in the United States and campaign against all laws attempting to regulate the use of firearms. (Issues and Controversies)

Another way that guns find their way into the hands of criminals is by the recruitment of an individual know as a "straw buyers". A straw buyer is a person who passes a background check and buys guns for someone else. According to the Denver Post, December 1999, Dealers sell 4000 handguns in multiple gun transactions each week. It seems that many of these transactions end up being straw purchases. Five to ten percent of crime guns traced annually are traced back to someone who made a multiple purchase of guns (Olinger). According to Glen Pierce, a Northeastern University researcher, almost half of traced guns trace back to fewer that one percent of licensed gun dealers (Parker). This seems to show how prominent straw purchasing is in our country. Mr. Pierce also disproved theories that most guns used in crime are stolen, and that traffickers primarily move guns across state lines, from states with weaker gun laws. The research showed that retail stores provide almost half of the guns used in crime, and that crimes are normally committed within 50 miles of the purchase.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Brady Law, Tobacco Firearms, Supreme Court, Court United, Northeastern University, Iron Pipe, Manson Law, Guns Gone, Brady Law's, Department Justice, background check, background checks, background check system, check system, waiting period, gun control, brady handgun, brady law, issues controversies, supreme court, law enforcement, gun control advocates, brady handgun control, national rifle association, handgun control act,
Approximate Word count = 2852
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page double spaced)