Believe it or not, the state of Florida ceased to do gun permit checks after the Pulse nightclub shooting. Why? Well, because the employee responsible for them simply could not log into the national database. What’s worse, it took her months to report the issue.
While this piece of news may sound like a parody or a story straight from “The Onion,” it’s just another example of government’s most basic characteristic (inefficiency) in action.
An investigation uncovered that Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services stopped using the National Instant Criminal Background Check System in early 2016. This allowed several Florida citizens to obtain concealed weapon permits without first having their background checked. Now, there are concerns that the state may have allowed people with a history of addiction or mental illness to carry guns in the open.
Now that the state had to revoke 291 permits because of this issue, the person who simply stopped checking people’s records was fired. But the concern remains. And the dangers to law-abiding gun owners still lurks in the not so distant feature.
Government Inefficiency Prompts Gun Control Advocates To Ask For More Laws
Open carry is illegal in Florida. Concealed carry isn’t. Presently, 1.9 million people have permits to carry a concealed gun in the state. But many worry government’s inefficiencies will put them in danger. Especially when you remember the state experienced a major surge in requests for concealed carry permits after the Pulse nightclub shooting.
But perhaps, what is even more concerning, is that this lapse will give ammunition to gun control activists such as school shooting survivor David Hogg to push for more strict laws against gun ownership and use. The result? Fewer people carrying legally, so fewer people being able to exercise their right to defend themselves as they see fit.
Despite this potential consequence, what this incident proves isn’t that more laws are in need. Instead, it shows us that government doesn’t have the public’s best interest at heart.
Enforcing gun laws meant to keep dangerous people from owning guns alone won’t make a difference. After all, most criminals ignore laws altogether, stealing weapons or buying them from the black market. In the end, all that more laws do is to force the state government to allocate more taxpayer money so incidents like Florida’s failure to check applicants’ background doesn’t happen again.
Gun rights advocates would be smart to keep that in mind. And maybe, use this opportunity to talk about the government’s lack of concern for our well being. And, of course, its tendency to apply one-size-fits-all solutions to everything – even if that puts our lives in danger.
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