“First, it’s time for Congress to require a universal background check on anyone trying to buy a gun.” These were President Obama’s words as he outlined his plans for gun control legislation on Wednesday.
FAIR takes no position on gun issues, but the president’s unequivocal support for universal checks demonstrates two things:
- The president does not consider background checks to be an infringement on anyone’s constitutional liberties, and
- The president does not consider there to be any technological impediments to carrying out universal checks before someone is permitted to purchase a firearm.
In making his statement, President Obama also negated the most frequently offered arguments against making E-Verify checks universal. If all gun dealers can be required to make sure that a customer meets eligibility standards to purchase a gun, why can’t all employers be required to check that the people they hire meet the eligibility requirements to hold a job? If existing technology and databases are reliable enough to determine someone’s fitness to own a weapon, shouldn’t existing technology and databases be reliable enough to determine someone’s eligibility to work in the United States?
Just wondering.