After celebrating a football game, six Crandon, Wis., high school graduates lost their lives early Sunday morning after an emotion-induced attack. Twenty-year-old Tyler Peterson apparently shot the victims after a heated debate with his longtime girlfriend, Jordanne Murray. After the argument, Mr. Peterson left Murray's home to retrieve his gun. He returned to a postgame party and gunned down the six students. He was later shot by local authorities after refusing a surrender offer from the district attorney's office. The most shocking part, however was that Mr. Peterson worked as a part-time Forest County Sheriff's deputy. Authorities have not yet released whether the gun was state-issued. These seven deaths pose the question: Who are we letting own guns, and what is being done to stop these shootings from reoccurring in the future? According to the Wisconsin Constitution, "The people have the right to keep and bear arms for security, defense, hunting, recreation or any other lawful purpose." Attaining a gun license in Wisconsin is as simple as signing a few forms and enduring a waiting period if necessary. However, these forms are intended to be detailed enough to ensure that the purchase of firearms is not for criminal intent. In order to legally own a firearm, a customer must fill out an application at the vendor. Shot guns and rifles, also known as "long guns," may be purchased that same day. While the potential customer is in the store, the vendor must then call the application into the National Instant Check System to screen for any prior felonies or legal problems. Following the screening, the system will either clear the transaction, allowing the customer to purchase the gun, delay the sale for three days for the customer to make a clear decision before the sale can take place or deny the transaction completely. But this background checking process is far from foolproof. While these checks do serve as a way to gauge a person's ability to properly handle and use a firearm, there is no way of predicting a person's future mental state. Even Mr. Peterson was trained as a deputy, completed the firearm training and was issued a gun. While reviewing the applicant's background is completely necessary, strides need to be taken to ensure firearms are not handed to those with a history of mental instability. More concerning, however, is that there are easy ways to get around the application process. Unlicensed vendors of firearms otherwise known as "private collectors" do not need to perform these background checks and often tend to sell their products at gun shows. Gun shop owner Larry Gleasman said, "If I go to my next door neighbor, I can give them money and walk away. There's no control over private transaction." With this system, there is no stopping individuals with a history of mental and drug problems, domestic abuse charges and even felonies from owning a gun. According to the National Rifle Association, "A person who is not engaged in the business of selling firearms, but who occasionally sells firearms under limited circumstances including ‘for the enhancement of a personal collection,' is not required to obtain the federal license required of gun dealers, or to complete a background check." As meticulous as the background check proves to be, it seems almost pointless if private vendors are allowed to sell guns under the radar. There is no doubt that action needs to be taken in order to try to ensure scrutiny whenever firearms pass through a new set of hands. The answer to this problem seems clear: require background checks for all vendors of firearms to lessen the number of illegal sales and prevent potentially deadly consequences. Until this happens, however, gun safety is mostly in the hands of those who choose how they want to sell their firearms: by the book or under the table. Sara Biersteker ([email protected]) is a sophomore majoring in English.
