April 10,  U.S. senators Pat Toomey (R-PA) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) reached a deal on the controversial background check bill regarding gun control. Though not quite as restrictive as President Obama’s posited universal background checks, the checks from the compromise will impose both criminal and mental background checks on any potential gun buyers. There are a few exceptions to this check, such as deals reached between family members, but for the most part, the checks will be implemented throughout the United States.
The bill comes in the wake of the tragic Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in mid-December where 20 children and six adults were shot by Adam Lanza. The traumatic event galvanized the nation’s legislature into hosting further talks on the topic of moderating the amount of people to whom guns could be sold to. The bill’s proponents hope that such a check will decrease the ease of acquiring guns for the criminally inclined, eventually decreasing the amount of gun-related violence as a whole.
 
Bearing News asked RBHS students:
1. How do you think the background checks would affect gun violence?
2. How do you currently use or do you plan on using or buying guns in the future?
 

Evan Henderson, senior
“I think background checks will help reduce overall gun violence.”
“Yeah, for hunting and recreation, like skeet shooting.”
 
 
 
 
 

Nahush Katti, senior
“I think it would decrease the amount of violence that occurs because of guns. The guns that are used in violent situation, even though they were sold illegally, they were bought legally at one point or another. The background checks would help curb this trade.”
“Probably not, [but] maybe. If I’m an angry adult, I’ll probably own a few guns. If I’m a chill adult, I probably won’t have too many guns. It all depends on how I turn out in the future.”
 
 

Yohali Sandoval, junior
“I think it is important because I feel like you don’t know what people are going to do with guns, if they’re going to shoot people or just use it for hunting or protection. There are things in your background that might cue authorities into that.”
“Hopefully I never have to use a gun, but I might someday use it for hunting or for protection. I wouldn’t really shoot somebody, though; I don’t think I’d be able to do that.”
 
 

Mariah Journey, sophomore
“I think if they’re going to do background checks, they can stop all the people who have ideas of doing stuff like that, so the amount of violence will be lowered.”
“I go hunting with a couple of my friends, but I think that would be the only time I would use them.”
 
 
 
 

Emily Smith, sophomore
“I think it will lower gun violence an awful lot. People who are going to do something bad will probably have something in their past that would prevent them from being able to get a gun.”
“Yeah, I go hunting every year.”
 
 
 
 

Kersten Brown, sophomore
“I think it will lower the violence because there are so many bad people out there that can just go in a place right now and buy a gun. If there’s a background check, we can curb the consequences.”
“I hunt, mostly in deer season.”
 
 
 
 

Emmanuel Ezeji, junior
“Yes. It will make sure that the right people have guns. It will make sure that only people who can handle them and not go crazy with them will have access.”
“Yeah, for protecting my home, shooting ranges and other things like that.”
 
 
 
 
By Raj Satpathy